Jimmy O'Mara of Amagansett was fluent in Gaelic and was a lover of poetry, folklore, and storytelling from his native Ireland. He could play the accordion, tin whistle, and any other instrument he laid his hands on, despite never being formally trained in music.
"He was always the life of any party and known around town for his wit and good humor," his daughter, Justine O'Mara Limonius of East Hampton, recalled.
Mr. O'Mara died of pancreatic cancer at home last Thursday with his daughter by his side. He was 83.
James O'Mara was born on Aug. 1, 1938, in Lisronagh, a small village in South Tipperary, Ireland, to Henry O'Mara and the former Catherine Keating. He was educated at Lisronagh National School and graduated from the Irish Christian Brothers High School in Clonmel.
Living in London for about two years until 1964, he achieved the position of Class A machinist with the Handley Page Aircraft Company. That year, he moved to the United States, taking a position with Pratt and Whitney Machine Tool Division in West Hartford, Conn. In the ensuing years, he worked for Beckman Instruments in California, the Farmington Manufacturing Company in Connecticut, and Shaw Aero Devices here in East Hampton Town. It was in East Hampton in 1993 that he started a chair and furniture restoration company called Chairs Plus.
In 1968, Mr. O'Mara met the love of his life, Lucy Cunningham, also an Irish immigrant, in Hartford, and they were married the following year. They often traveled to visit family in Ireland. Later settling in Amagansett, they adopted their daughter in 1980. His wife died in 2015.
Beyond loving the poetry and stories of his native Ireland, Mr. O'Mara was a fan of golf, soccer, hurling, and Irish football. He was active in the South Fork Country Club for 40 years and was a member of Most Holy Trinity and St. Peter's Catholic Churches.
In addition to his daughter, Justine, Mr. O'Mara leaves two grandchildren, Lily and Lucia Limonius, two sisters, Eileen Felice of Wethersfield, Conn., and Sally Somers of Clonmel, Ireland, and many nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours are tomorrow at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton from 5 to 7 p.m., with a funeral Mass to be said at St. Peter's in Amagansett on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and burial at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton afterward. His family has suggested memorial donations to East End Hospice, online at eeh.org.
