John James Treanor

John Treanor’s life began in a red house on a farm in Emyvale, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. But he dreamed The American Dream. He immigrated to America, with his brothers Packie and Charlie, through Canada. With no one to sponsor them, the only way they could enter America was if they each had $1000 in hand. So John worked on the railroad in Toronto, even taking the more dangerous job of climbing up and closing the doors of the railway cars to earn his way faster. He was always a hard worker. As the older folks back in Emyvale remember him, “He was strong, and he was able.” Once he had his grand in hand, he immigrated first to Chicago. But his love of Gaelic football brought him to Detroit. They were starting a new team, he knew he could get a spot, and sure enough, he did. He was a true athlete, center fullback on the Detroit team that won the 1957 North American GAA Gaelic Football Championship, playing into his 70s, and a tough coach into his 90s. He met his lovely wife, Kathleen, at a dance at the Friendly Sons of St Patrick in Detroit. He was taken immediately, and though he had plans to move to Florida, he quickly changed his mind. As he said, when he got to Florida, “it hurt in here,” pointing to his heart. So he quickly moved back to marry the love of his life. They were always the first couple on the dance floor and the last to leave. He worked for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, which later became DTE, for 33 years. He was also “The Irish Landlord,” owning and maintaining many rental properties all over Detroit. As tough as he was, he was also kind and gave families a break on rent when they needed it. It was all hard work, but it provided for his family, as he and Kathleen grew their family from two to nine, raising seven children together. But the strongest part about him was his faith. His faith in God and his core beliefs in honesty and generosity. Together with Kathleen, they gave away all they could to charities like the Irish Pallottine Fathers, Food for the Poor, Covenant House and Mercy Home. They may be the only couple that was told to stop giving so much because they’d have nothing left for themselves. But the faith was that there would always be enough. And that’s all they needed. He was a lover of poetry and words. Though he only had an 8th grade formal education, he cherished learning. In addition to giving an update on the football scores, he called into the Detroit Irish Radio program every Sunday to recite verses. He will also be remembered for his humor. With a wink and a sparkle in his eyes, he was a prankster, once eating all the candy out of the Easter eggs before the grandchildren woke up and replacing them with old grapes and carrots. He had a quick wit all the way to the end. At 95, he asked “What’s gonna happen to us when we get old?” Eventually, Gaelic football turned into daily walks. At 96, he and Kathleen raised money for Mercy Home for Boys & Girls by pledging to walk every day, eventually amounting his total of 10k in 2 months. That hard worker was still working out, walking a quarter to half a mile in the park at 100 years old and still doing his exercises until the day he went to be with God. He is preceded in death and greeted in heaven by his parents, Teresa and Peter, siblings Packie, Peter, Charlie, Barney, Malachy, Annie and Bridget, and son, Michael. He will be deeply missed by his wife of 71 years, Kathleen, his children, Kathy, John (Cathy), Brian, Dennis, Kevin and Brendan, his grandchildren Blanca (Tim), Keith, Carla (Kyle), John David (Gabriela), John Michael, Lindsay, David (Laura), Brian, Baileah, Caitlin and Louie, and his great-grandchildren Nolan, Lukas, Rory, Alex, Mia and Vera. He will also be missed by his nieces and nephews and their children back in Ireland, his parish community at Our Lady of Victory and the entire Irish community in metro Detroit. At over 101 incredible years, there are not enough words to do him justice. A man born in a small town in Ireland, he left a lasting impact across the world. In lieu of flowers, Donations in memory of John can be made to the Irish Pallottine Fathers: https://www.irishpallottines.org/donations/ A visitation will be held at the O'Brien-Sullivan Funeral Home, 41555 Grand River Avenue, Novi, 248-348-1800 on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with a rosary beginning at 6:30 PM. The family asks people to think of their favorite memories of John to share either on the microphone and/or through journals that will be at the funeral home. Funeral Mass will be at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 133 Orchard Drive, Northville, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM, with visitation 10:30 AM until time of service. To watch service online, visit https://www.facebook.com/OurLadyofvictorychurchNorthville/ Procession to Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 25800 W 10 Mile Rd, Southfield, and luncheon to follow at The Gaelic League, 2068 Michigan Ave, Detroit. Please join us to gather, remember, and honor the incredible life of John James Treanor.

John James Treanor

August 15, 1924 - August 26, 2025