Friday, March 12, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Nevada remembers O'Callaghan

Tears flow as friends, family bid farewell to the man who touched thousands

Air Force Maj. Gen. Giles Vanderhoof, Nevada National Guard's adjutant general, on Thursday presents the flag that was draped over the casket of Mike O'Callaghan, to his widow, Carolyn, during services at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City. Photo by K.M. Cannon. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., takes a moment to compose himself Thursday as he addresses a crowd of about 2,000 at a memorial service for Mike O'Callaghan. Photo by John Gurzinski. As a bugler plays Taps, mourners watch four F-16s fly on Thursday in the missing-man formation at the burial of Mike O'Callaghan in Boulder City. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Incense circled upward, bagpipe music filled the air and fighter jets soared overhead Thursday as thousands of Nevadans bid farewell to one of the most beloved public servants in state history.

With heroic tales of turmoil and triumph, a Jewish prayer, a 21-gun salute and humor, politicians, veterans, friends and strangers alike recalled the strength, compassion and inspiration that the former governor and Las Vegas Sun Executive Editor Mike O'Callaghan bestowed on all he touched.

More than 2,000 people attended a midday funeral at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, near the Strip and Tropicana Avenue.

In the shadow of the tourist paradise O'Callaghan helped cultivate, tears were as plentiful as the memories conveyed about the devout Catholic, loving husband, war hero, advocate for Israel and champion of the little guy.

"I grew up in Las Vegas and he was a big part of our life growing up," said Rob Rovere, an official with the state Department of Corrections. "He was one of the best governors, if not the best. ... He understood you had to have a complete government that was responsive to all people."

O'Callaghan died March 5 at Desert Springs Hospital, where he was taken after suffering a heart attack at the 6:45 a.m. Mass at St. Viator Catholic Church. He was 74.

After a traditional Catholic service Thursday, 11 friends and family members eulogized O'Callaghan for about two hours.

Gov. Kenny Guinn, members of Nevada's congressional delegation, current and former federal judges and state lawmakers, Clark County commissioners, gaming executives and a former player with O'Callaghan's favorite team, the Oakland Raiders, were in attendance.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers escorted the funeral procession as it traveled to the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, where O'Callaghan was buried with full military honors.

About 350 people gathered for prayer in the cemetery's chapel before stepping outside to watch as a seven-member firing party performed a 21-gun salute.

As a bugler played Taps, four F-16s flew overhead in the missing-man formation, drawing gasps from the crowd.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who served as O'Callaghan's lieutenant governor, told the crowd at the church that O'Callaghan was a close friend and trusted adviser for decades.

"If you were doing your best, it was good enough for Mike. If you were right and fighting for it, Mike was by your side," Reid told the crowd with tears in his eyes. "What more could someone ask for in a father figure than Mike O'Callaghan?"

A Democrat, O'Callaghan served as governor between 1971 and 1979, winning his second term by a record 4-to-1 voting margin. After leaving the governor's office, he joined the Las Vegas Sun. At the time of his death, he served as the newspaper's executive editor and chairman of the board.

Unlike other former governors, who took cushy jobs with banks and gaming companies, O'Callaghan rolled up his sleeves and went to work for the Sun, Las Vegas Sun Editor Editor Brian Greenspun said.

He had to stay involved with the city and state he loved while he wrote passionately about veterans affairs, prison issues and the need for affordable housing, Greenspun said.

He said Reid drafted a contract for O'Callaghan, but both O'Callaghan and former Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun declined to sign it. Neither believed a legal binding document was needed, he said.

"His charity and good deeds were done quietly, not for public accolades but for personal satisfaction," Greenspun said.

O'Callaghan, born Sept. 10, 1929, in La Crosse, Wis., had simple beginnings. His family raised cows but lost their mortgaged farm during the Depression.

O'Callaghan joined the Marine Corps at age 16.

During the Korean War, he took a direct hit in the left leg from an 82 mm mortar round. The blast killed his squad leader, and O'Callaghan's leg was amputated below the knee.

Gary Bates, who said he served as bodyguard for Reid, recalled how O'Callaghan had arrested him twice in one day in the 1960s, when Bates was a child prone to getting into fights and O'Callaghan was a juvenile probation officer in Las Vegas.

Retired nurse Helen Fidelibus didn't know O'Callaghan personally, but attended his funeral because she always admired how he treated fellow parishioners at St. Anne Catholic Church.

"He attended Mass every day. He was a fine example to us in the Catholic faith," Fidelibus, 78, said. "He spoke to everyone and called them all by their first name."

Richard McCune, wearing a baseball cap and shirt marked with the Harley-Davidson logo, said he drove his motorcycle 12 hours from Sacramento, Calif., to say good-bye to a friend who was never too busy for him.

"Whenever I came here to do some work at Nellis," the federal government geologist said, "the governor always wanted to see me and ask how I was doing."

When asked why he didn't just send flowers, McCune said, "He means a lot more than flowers. He accepted me into his family, and he always wanted to know how the regular folks were doing."

Judith Dawson, a parishioner at St. Anne's who knew O'Callaghan since 1970, said, "He was a good humanitarian, somebody approachable, somebody who would help you when you were in need. He was a giant of a man and we are sorry to lose him."

O'Callaghan is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carolyn; sons Michael, Tim and Brian; daughters Colleen O'Callaghan-Miele and Teresa Duke; and 15 grandchildren. All live in Southern Nevada.

Review-Journal writer Carri Geer Thevenot contributed to this report.