Elm Grove Loses Strong Voice in Bill O’Leary
Lifelong Wheeling resident Bill O’ Leary had an unofficial title bestowed on him by his neighbor, Bob Butler: Mayor of Elm Grove.
O’Leary died Sunday at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, at the age of 73. A common fixture at Wheeling City Council meetings, where he would regularly take the podium and offer his perspective on everything from courthouse security to snow removal on sidewalks, O’Leary is remembered as the type of guy who was eager to address a problem and seek a solution, always concerned for others.
“We could certainly use a lot more Bill O’Learys,” said former Wheeling Vice Mayor Eugene Fahey, who represented Elm Grove as the 6th Ward’s councilman for eight years.
Fahey described O’Leary as someone happy to represent the interests of his fellow residents through a public display, yet said he wasn’t someone to act for his personal gain.
O’Leary assisted in the founding of the Elm Grove Crime Watch and Wheeling National Night Out. He held a seat on the city’s traffic commission, and pushed hard for the recent modifications at the intersection of Kruger Street and National Road by persistently petitioning officials with the city of Wheeling and the West Virginia Division of Highways.
O’Leary was among the first to address the issue of sluggish traffic at the intersection. Butler said such action didn’t always make O’Leary popular with elected leaders, but it did impress his neighbors. Butler said O’Leary was a “go-getter” and a good friend.
O’Leary lived on Paxton Avenue for more than 20 years, and lived alone after his wife, Sharon, died in 2014. Butler said this loss was at times tough for O’Leary. At city council meetings, he would regularly mention his wife, and always seemed engaged, despite her absence.
During the last council meeting he attended, O’Leary addressed new Mayor Glenn Elliott and incoming council members to wish them luck, and he suggested a need for additional speaking time for residents during meetings. Council’s current rule is that residents receive three minutes to state their business.
This echoed O’Leary’s general interest in residents’ participation in local affairs.
Visitation for O’Leary will be 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. today at Altmeyer Funeral Home, 154 Kruger St. His funeral will be 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Elm Grove.
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