Lee Thomas Edward O'Hara

   Cause of his death was Coronary Thrombosis.

  General Notes:

Lee O'Hara's father spent a couple of years in New Orleans, following the American Civil War. Joseph was a carpenter and probably worked there at that trade. The family with whom he boarded had a son named Lee, after General Robert E. Lee. Joseph was quite taken with this boy and decided that if he ever had a son he would name him after this boy. When Lee joined the Canadian army in 1914 his father was distressed to find that Lee's baptismal certificate (no birth certificates in those days) was made out as Leo. Dad's father had some words with the priest, who was still available. The priest explained that the son had to be named after a saint. My Joseph is reputed to have replied, "There's got to be a first one". Lee never made sainthood but he did go by the name, Lee, for the rest of his life.

Lee had varicose veins in one leg; so he was not sent overseas. He was assigned to be a clerk in the army. After several years, he volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corp. This would enable him to "do his bit" overseas. Actually, the war ended just as he graduated from flying school; so he never got to participate in the war in an active capacity. Of course, based on the percentage of soldiers who lost their lives, he was lucky.

The white band on his cap indicated that he was an officer cadet at that point.

Lee married Alma Clara Brennan, daughter of Dennis Brennan and Jane Angela Casey, about 1924 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Alma Clara Brennan was born on 6 Oct 1897 in Quyon, Quebec, Canada, died on 18 Aug 1984 in London, Ontario, Canada and was buried in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.)