Donald E. Reilly

donald reilly
Donald E. Reilly, 93, passed away on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at his home in Vienna, Va. He was the husband of the late Georgia J. Reilly and is survived by two sons, Douglas and Neil. Mr. Reilly was a Foreign Service Officer, served as Press Officer and Country Public Affairs Officer from 1950 to 1987. He served in Korea during the war and helped evacuate Embassy employees from Seoul to Pusan. While in Pakistan during the 1964 IndoPak war, his family was evacuated to Afghanistan. Other posts included Vietnam and Cambodia,India, Turkey, the Philippines, where he was director of the USIA regional publishing house. and in Uruguay as Country Public Affairs Officer. He was awarded the Agency's Meritorious Service Award and is a graduate of the U. S. Army War College. In retirement he taught editing and writing at the USDA Graduate School and was Special Assistant to Chief Justice Warren Burger, Chairman of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. Services and interment will be private.

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  1. My deepest condolences to both Doug and Neil. Your dad was my Uncle of adventure. I still have the macrame purse he gave me from Pakistan. Uncle Donald tought me about other cultures around the world when I was young. I remember when your family would come and visit he would be out in our garage boxing the punch bag hanging from the rafters. My mother always looked up to him.

  2. Decades of fond memories of Don and Jo (Georgia) as we were all picking peaches in an orchard, going to the theater, enjoying a great dinner, playing cards, or just simply hearing all about their amazing adventures around the world. Every time was always filled with laughter, love, and affection… I will sorely miss that. Heartfelt sympathy to Doug and Neil. With love, Ruth Reilly and Family

  3. I’m very sorry to hear of Don’s passing. He was a good friend of my father’s and they would meet up every week for breakfast in a little social group. In recent years I would drive my father to these gatherings and that’s when I got to know Don a little bit. My young son would accompany me and Don and the other fellows would always treat him as one of the gang, which thrilled him. We will miss seeing him.

  4. With fond memories of a dear friend whom we met in Uruguay in the late 1970s. He will be greatly missed. Richard and Judy Livingston

  5. I’ve met Don in the nineties terughoudend Georgië, with whom I worden at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in DC. With fond memories I think back of the social garnering at their house, with bbq, talkie and singing. On most of my trips from the Netherlands to the US, I visited Don and Georgia, and in time they got to know my husband and two kids, who grew as fond of them as I had. Dennis, my husband even got to join the ROMEO club, which he felt was a very special occasion. I want to say thank you for all the dear and beautiful moments we spent together, your hospitality and heart warming care. Hilga, Dennis, Quinn and Elsza (Groningen, the Netherlands)


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