Frances Flanagan O’Reilly left us on July 23, 2024, after a brief hospitalization. She was 82 years old.
Fran will be remembered by friends and family as a wise and loyal friend, a lover of books, horses, and Golden Retrievers, and a world traveler who ventured far and wide to identify birds, fish, and other wildlife.
Born in St. Louis to the late Joseph M. O’Reilly, Jr. and Phoebe Weed O’Reilly, Frannie, or Sansy, as she was known to her siblings and childhood friends, was the eldest of six children – five sisters and one brother. A precocious child, Fran developed her lifelong love of books at an early age, reading anything she could get her hands on.
Fran’s passion for horses also began when she was a girl, buying her first horse at age 13 with her own money, after presenting her parents with $150 she had saved and a newspaper ad for the horse. Her love of horses and horseback riding led to a lifetime of owning and caring for horses, teaching others how to ride, and judging equestrian competitions.
In the equestrian world, Fran was a force, a master of riding and teaching, who gathered many devoted students and friends. Her equestrian achievements were numerous, including a spot earned as an Olympic alternate on the U.S. Dressage Team in the 1970s. Fran’s profession took her to Glover, Vermont, where she taught and rode horses for two decades, and which enabled her to travel all over the United States as a judge of equestrian competitions.
Fran completed her undergraduate studies at Grinnell College and pursued a PhD in comparative literature at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. There, she met her late husband, Michael Parkis, who matched Fran in intellectual vigor and energy and supported her as she followed her equestrian dreams. They moved to Vashon Island in 2004, established Glendalough Horse Farm, and became a part of the Vashon Island community.
Fran and Michael treasured their annual visits to Hawaii where they would snorkel, watch birds, and eat a papaya for breakfast every morning. Fran continued the trip every year even after Michael had passed.
Fran was predeceased by her daughter, Barbara Hinchcliffe. She is survived by her sisters, Faith O’Reilly of Saguache, Colorado, Ellen Przyuski of Ottsville, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth “Molie” Walker of Des Moines, Iowa, and Catharine “Chee” Rothschild of Strong, Maine, her step-daughters, Patricia Parkis of Denver, Colorado, Marjorie Parkis of Traverse City, Michigan, many loving nieces and nephews, and legions of devoted friends who were as close to her as her family.
Her life will be celebrated during a memorial planned for August 4, 2024, 2-6 p.m. at Glendalough Horse Farm, 5406 SW 244th St. All are welcome. Those who would like to make a donation in honor of Fran are encouraged to consider Grinnell College, National Public Radio, and the Harris campaign.
August 24, 1941 – July 23, 2024
