8/15/40 - 6/5/2025
John Joseph Reilly died peacefully, after a decline due to dementia, on June 5, 2025, in Shelburne, Vermont, at the age of 84.
John was born on August 15, 1940, in Boston, Massachusetts, to John J. Reilly and Rita Maher Reilly. He attended schools in Dover, New Hampshire, and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1962 with a degree in electrical engineering. It is there he met his future wife, Sandra E. Lowell, whom he married in 1962.
Shortly after getting married, John and Sandra moved to Wappingers Falls, New York, and in the next few years they had three sons. This is where John began working for IBM as an electrical engineer. In his 30-plus-year career at IBM, John was at the forefront of breakthroughs in mainframe computing. His work involved travel to other IBM sites, including a year overseas in England with his young family in the late 1960s.
John was passionate about classic cars, and he restored and maintained many. He was a self-taught builder and accomplished wood worker who honed his skills in the building of two homes, the first in LaGrangeville, New York, and the second in Waitsfield, Vermont, where he and Sandra eventually retired in 1994. Among his other interests were golfing and sailing.
He was an active volunteer in his community and was recognized in the 2012 Waitsfield Town Report dedication. He served as a Waitsfield town lister, Waitsfield Planning Commissioner, and Joslin Memorial Library trustee. While active in these roles, he was instrumental in the renovation of the historic library and the building of a new town office.
John is survived by his wife, Sandra E. (Lowell) Reilly; children, John J. Reilly (Huntington, Vermont), Sean P. Reilly and spouse Patricia J. Fitzgerald (Jericho, Vermont), Christopher J. Reilly and spouse, Nancy J. Reilly (Middlesex, Vermont), and his four grandchildren: Thorn, Arin, Alex, and Kate. He was predeceased by his sister, Nancy A. Roemer, brother Paul J. Reilly, and his parents.
Please address messages of condolence to: PO Box 1360, Waitsfield, VT, 05673. A celebration of John’s life will be held at a time to be announced.
The family would like to thank caregivers at The Arbors in Shelburne, Vermont, UVM Hospice, and Central VT Home Health and Hospice, for their dedicated care and attention.
