Timothy Paul O’Grady was a man who knew how to fall. I remember watching him perched atop a 10-foot wooden ladder alongside his trailer, pulling a table out from the top of a load, when the ladder was knocked out from underneath him. As Tim and the table dropped toward the ground, he reached out for it and clutched it against his chest, braced himself, and fell to his back, making sure that the piece of furniture would be unharmed. Tim always sacrificed himself to protect his work, his family, and his friends. Just as always, he rose up from the ground, dusted off his back, and finished the job. Tim was a man who knew how to get up.
Tim knew how to live life with reckless abandon. Few men will ever enjoy life as much as he did. He never hesitated to do something that might be fun. When his young son asked if they could bungee jump, he never thought to say “are you crazy?” or “wait until you are older.” Instead, Tim would smile, find a perfectly good air balloon, and jump from it alongside his son the next morning. This happy and adventurous way of living and fulfilling the wishes of others made Tim the figurehead of a large extended family. Always eager to host them at a bonfire or go riding on quads, Tim brought joy to everyone he met. Everyone always turned to Tim in difficult times, and he always made them smile and did whatever he could to help. Tim knew how to live a life of gentle caring.
From the first day of his life on May 1, 1959 through his passing on July 9, 2011, Tim’s falling, rising, fun, and caring has drawn him the love and respect of all who knew him. He was the head of the O’Grady clan, and everyone – his wife, four kids, five grandkids, 13 siblings and their families, and countless others – looked to him for guidance and support. We are all grateful for the mark he has left on our lives, we will miss him every day, and he will be forever in our hearts.
