Terence J. O’Reilly Sr., 88, Irishman and Philly-area dishwashing kingpin, has died

If you’ve eaten at a Philadelphia-area restaurant in the last six decades, there’s a good chance that Terry O’Reilly and his family had a hand in cleaning the dishes you used and the glasses you drank from.

Mr. O’Reilly, 88, who cofounded Termac Corp., which leases and services dishwashing equipment used by hundreds of restaurants and other commercial kitchens, died Thursday, Oct. 1, of natural causes.

Mr. O’Reilly, who lived in Holland, Bucks County, started Termac in February 1963 with a partner, using a red Volkswagen bus to shuttle among their stops. Termac, a family-owned supplier in a business dominated by conglomerates, now operates dozens of white-service vans throughout the region.

“When he was young back in Ireland, he always envisioned having a fleet of lorries, although he didn’t know what kind of business they would be used for,” his son Sean said. “It ended up being a restaurant-service business.”

Terence J. O’Reilly Sr. was born Feb. 27, 1938, in Kinawley, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. At 18, he left his family and sailed to the U.S. on the Britannic. He worked wherever he could find employment and attended La Salle College at night.

On Aug. 28, 1958, two years after his arrival, Mr. O’Reilly and a cousin visited a nearby family to meet an 18-year-old woman who had flown in from Ireland that day.

Hanna “Maureen” O’Shea had come to live with an aunt and uncle who were friends with Mr. O’Reilly’s relatives. She and Mr. O’Reilly quickly became a couple, marrying in September 1963 and having four children.

“I always told my children, ‘I have to tell you — the first day I came here and saw your father, America was looking pretty good to me,’” Maureen O’Reilly said.

She said they likely would never have met in Ireland. He was from the north and she was from the south, more than eight hours away by car at the time. Their older son, Terence Jr., said his parents later drove between their hometowns, prompting his father to joke, “If I ever get married again, I’m going to marry someone closer to home.”

Seven months before the O’Reillys were married, Mr. O’Reilly and Joe McAveety founded Termac, combining “Ter” from Terry with “Mac” from McAveety. After the men ended their partnership in the 1970s, Mr. O’Reilly expanded the business by emphasizing low-energy dishwashing machines during the energy crisis.

Termac, long based in Holmesburg, later launched related businesses that service commercial-kitchen grease filters and traps, install and maintain fire-suppression systems, and perform metal fabrication.

His sons, Terence Jr. and Sean, eventually joined the company. Working in the family business was less an invitation than an expectation, his older son said.

“We had no choice,” Terence Jr. said. “You know how it is with an immigrant family coming to America: You work for the family. That was the philosophy and the mentality.”

With the addition of grandchildren, Termac now is in its third generation. Five days before Mr. O’Reilly died, he attended the wedding of his grandson Terence in Long Branch, N.J.

The sense of family extended to longtime employees. Termac salesman Tom Jordan worked for Mr. O’Reilly for 46 years. “When I started, there were maybe four or five people in the company,” Jordan said. “You felt like family from the first day. Realistically, how often does someone work for a company and, when his child is born, ask his boss and his wife to be the child’s godparents?”

Mr. O’Reilly could be demanding as both a father and a boss, his children said. His youngest child, Patricia Onzik, joked that she received a softer version of him than her older siblings had. She was allowed to wear makeup in high school and attend school dances — privileges denied to the older children.

But beneath the toughness, his children said, was a father on whom they could depend.

“If you had any issue, if anything was going on, you could go to him,” Terence Jr. said. “You could tell him what was happening, and he would help you.”

Growing up, the family said, Mr. O’Reilly had limited opportunities. In America, he sought every opportunity to educate himself. He was extremely well read and enjoyed engaging in meaningful conversations with friends and family.

His generosity extended beyond his family. Growing up poor in Ireland, he was particularly disturbed by hunger. His children recalled occasions when he visited a food bank, saw that its shelves were nearly bare, and returned with food.

Mr. O’Reilly was a longtime member of St. Bede the Venerable Church, served in the Army National Guard, coached his children’s soccer teams, and served as a Scout leader. He traveled extensively, practiced fly-fishing, carved wood, and belonged to the Delaware Valley Woodcarvers. He also enjoyed weekends in Ocean City, N.J., and spending time with his grandchildren.

Looking back at their life together, Maureen O’Reilly recalled sometimes asking her husband if he realized what he had accomplished.

“I used to say, ‘Oh, my God, Terry, look at this. You worked so hard. Look what you did,’” she said. “He would always say, ‘You think so?’”

In addition to his wife, Maureen, sons Terence Jr. and Sean, and daughter Patricia Onzik, he is survived by his older daughter, Eileen Norton; 13 grandchildren; and sisters Breda Rudden and Bronagh Reilly.

A visitation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro. A second visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at St. Bede the Venerable Church, 1071 Holland Rd., Holland, followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Burial will be at All Saints Cemetery in Newtown.

Donations may be made to the Legacy of Life Foundation, 25 S. Main St., Suite 217, Yardley, Pa. 19067, or legacyoflifefoundation.org.