Dennis M. O'Hara

DENNIS M. O'HARA

Dennis O'Hara, a kind and gentle spirit with generosity to spare, passed away on April 18th , 2024.

Born into a proud Irish family, Dennis was the 5th of 7 children. Growing up, he loved the epic St. Patrick's Day parties and playing tennis with his brothers and youngest sister. As a youth, Dennis had a paper route and delivered The Repository with his best friend, the family dog Tiger. Dennis was a 1974 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where he lettered in track.

He loved the outdoors and travel, combining these passions personally and professionally. In his free time, Dennis enjoyed fishing. His favorite places to visit were New York City and Ocean City, New Jersey, where his brother Terry and sister-in-law Jeanne have a beach home.

Early in his career, he worked as an arborist, cutting and trimming trees. There was no tree too high for Dennis to climb or complicated to approach. His expertise was in demand, and he was called on by states from Michigan to Louisiana when severe winds and rain caused serious damage. At the same time, safety was a priority. Dennis taught crew members the required protocol for safety and respect for the dangerous circumstances they faced daily. He liked being "a tree guy."

Later, Dennis earned his Commercial Driver License, joyfully traveling 48 states. He found Utah the most beautiful, once seeing a double rainbow there. While driving, he would rock out to his favorite music. (One favorite family memory was when, as a teenager, Dennis painted a ceiling mural of Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album cover in his childhood bedroom. Perhaps not appreciated by all household members but the younger set thought it was amazing!

In May 2012, Dennis married the love of his life, Choying "Ying" Chen. They met online via Match.com, and after visiting Ying in China several times, Dennis proposed. Ying and her daughter Ting moved to America, and they became a devoted family. It was clear how much Dennis adored his wife. He would often tell Ying how beautiful she was, making her smile.

Dennis delighted in his daughter Ting. Once she told him she wanted a cat; the next day he drove her to every pet store in the city. He was so proud of Ting, especially for her kindness and compassion. One of her teachers told Ying and Dennis that she helped other students with their course work, because she was wonderful at explaining it. Dennis beamed! Ting described Dennis as very supportive and the best dad she could have ever asked for.

Dennis asked Ying to teach him Mandarin, and he became fluent, except for the word playground, which, for some reason, eluded him. Dennis, Ying, and Ting were members of Akron Chinese Christian Church (ACCC), where they found faith and many friends. ACCC was a perfect fit, as they are focused on helping make the world a better place.

In March 2024, Dennis and Ying completed their dream, three-week trip to Hong Kong, China, and Thailand. Ying said, "We enjoyed every moment of it together." After visiting Thailand, his wish was to live there for six months out of the year.

Dennis, Ying, and Ting were always on the go. Weekends were filled with parties, and Dennis was undefeated croquet and cornhole champion every extended family picnic. Dennis' siblings adored Ying and Ting, and Ying said, "I really loved my husband and all of his family."

Here is how his sister Colleen described Dennis: "He had such purity of soul and spirit. Dennis was very accepting of those who were different. He always had your back whether he agreed with you or not. He never put anyone down, rather he was all about building you up. He would drop what he was doing, including major projects, to help someone. Dennis quietly went about his day, showing us what caring for others looked like. He was the very best of us."

Dennis is preceded in death by parents, Charles Regis and Mary Rita (née Kerr) O'Hara. He is survived by his wife, Chaoying Chen, and daughter, Linting Vu; sons Brian Cochran and Joshua O'Hara; siblings Maureen Kerr, Terence O'Hara (Jeanne), Colleen O'Hara (Hank Gonzalez), Kevin O'Hara (Tiffany), Rosemary O'Hara (Tony Mucci) and Nancy O'Hara (Timothy Hirst); as well as numerous nieces and nephews. All love and miss him.

Dennis' family would like to thank the members of Summa Health Akron Campus – from those who kept his room and the hallways clean to those who provided the exceptional and compassionate medical expertise he received – please know we are forever grateful.

Also, his siblings would like to thank Dennis' neighbor and friend, Wayne Gainer, for all he did that night of his medical emergency, along with his daughter, Ting, to see that Dennis received the immediate help he needed. Thank you, Ting and Wayne. And thank you, Ying, for loving him.

Family and friends are invited for visitation on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at Lamiell Funeral Home, where the service for Dennis will immediately follow at 2:00 PM. Interment will take place at North Lawn Cemetery, Canton.

In lieu of flowers, Dennis would have loved the support of his dearest Ying and Ting. Please venmo.