Joseph Nicholas O'Hearn was born in the Bronx, New York to Thomas O'Hearn and Mary Balish on September 28, 1944.  He passed away on November 5, 2020 after a valiant 14-month battle to overcome his stroke.

Joe grew up in the Bronx and was a graduate of St. Philip Neri Elementary School and DeWitt Clinton High School.  He volunteered for military service during the Vietnam War and went to Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He earned the rank of 1 ^st Lieutenant, in the United States Army, 1 ^st Infantry Division and served from 1967 – 1968. In Vietnam he earned the Silver Star for Exceptional Gallantry in Action against Enemies of the United States, the Bronze Star for Heroism and Meritorious Service and the Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, 1 ^st Class.

He started his career at M.W. Kellogg as a computer analyst in New York.  He married Claire Calamari on November 29, 1969 in the Bronx and they moved to Houston, Texas with the Kellogg Company. In 1996 when the company was split, Joe and family moved to Denton, Texas where he retired from Hewlett Packard.

Joe is survived by his wife of 51 years, Claire O'Hearn; his sons David and Andrew; daughters-in-law Christy and Wendy; and grandchildren Oliver, Danielle, Charlotte, Ronan, and Rory. Joe was so very proud of his sons and the sound of his five grandchildren's laughter and chatter was music to his ears.

Joe is also survived by his older brothers Lieutenant Colonel Thomas O'Hearn of Colorado and Patrick O'Hearn and sister-in-law JoAnn of North Carolina, as well as his brother-in-law Michael Riordan of Maryland, sisters-in-law Jeanne Coburn, Susan Calamari, Rosalinda Calamari and husband Rusty Simmons and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Elizabeth Riordan of Maryland and sister-in-law Leona O'Hearn of Colorado.

Joe was an avid bowler, golfer, cantor and guitarist. He enjoyed telling stories of his youth in the Bronx and his life experiences such as being able to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York with the Welch Choral.

Life is a parabolic curve of motion.
It has peaks; it has valleys,
It has a beginning, and it has an ending.
But, believe me when I say that,
"It's not death that should be feared,
It's not knowing we were alive that should terrify us."

For death is nothing more than a transition from time to timelessness.
And, as I travel before you into the great expanse,
I will carve a clear path so you can find me with ease,
We will all be together again,
on a different plane, in a different world.

So, as I take my last burning breath,
don't mourn me too long,
I'm at peace knowing that we will be together again soon.
Indeed, the Parabola of Life will become a complete circle
And, at its center,
I will wait.