Longtime journalist Thomas Edward 'Eddie O' O'Leary, who regularly covered harness racing, passed away peacefully at the Brantford General Hospital on Sunday, October 16 in his 63rd year after a brief illness
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Ed is the beloved son of the late Thomas and Dorothy O'Leary, and loving cousin of John Villamere, Ann Back and Wayne Villamere.
Ed, who was a contributor to Trot Magazine, worked as a sports reporter at the Brantford Expositor for over 40 years. He will be remembered for his thorough professionalism covering the local sports scene and his flare for the humorous side.
Just last month, Ed won SC's 2011 Canadian Yearling Sale Handicapping Contest, showing his prowess for Canada's harness racing industry.
Ed was more than just a journalist and handicapper, though. He touched the lives of people that he met, as explained in a pair of articles in the Expositor by Susan Gamble and Brian Smiley.
Friends will be received at the Dennis Toll Funeral Home (55 Charing Cross Street, Brantford) on Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Brant Community Healthcare System would be greatly appreciated.
Please join SC in extending condolences to the family and friends of Ed O'Leary.
What a tragic loss for Eddie
What a tragic loss for Eddie O's friends and family, and an untimely loss for the harness racing industry. The power of the press is not on harness racing's side these day, but Eddie always made sure to report regularly with great passion on harness racing in the mainstream media. Eddie was an avid harness racing fan, a stellar reporter, and a genuinely kind person.
Eddie O, you will be missed.
Your Friend,
Aaron Waxman