Obituary of Michael John Dilloughery

Michael John Dilloughery, 87, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 30th, 2013 in Santa Cruz. Michael was born on July 1, 1926 in Cork City, Ireland to William and Kathleen Dilloughery. He was the 2nd of 6 children. At the age of 10 his family moved to Ennis, Co. Claire where his father found work. The family returned to Cork City in 1940. Michael finished secondary school in 1944 and started working at OK Garages Ltd in Cork, working in the parts department alongside his father. This was the beginning of his career in the foreign auto parts industry which lasted over 50 years. Always the entrepreneur, Michael had multiple businesses in Cork, ranging from a potato chip factory, two fish and chip shops, and a distributor for Caterpillar tractors. Michael met Elizabeth "Lily" O'Dowd when they were teenagers in 1944 living down the street from each other. They married in 1952 in Cork City and have been happily married for 61 years. Lily was the love of Michael's life. Theirs was a special relationship and we were all so blessed to witness their love, devotion, and respect for each other. Michael emigrated to San Francisco with Lily and their three children, Paula, Eric, and Carol in October 1959 and started working for British Motor Cars. They moved to Santa Cruz in 1961 where their two sons, Kevin and Michael, were born. With his wife and young children Michael quickly made a name for himself in the foreign automotive parts business, opening several stores in San Jose and later in Santa Cruz (FAPS). Michael was a founding member of the Santa Cruz Irish Club, presiding as president for numerous years. A position that required someone who could "get the party started". His children were blessed with a life filled with social gatherings of family, friends and visiting relatives from Ireland. It wasn't uncommon for the gatherings to go from Irish song to mariachi music which Michael and Lily quickly adopted from their many travels to Mexico. Michael enjoyed numerous activities but one that stood out most was his passion for tennis. He and Lily played at numerous clubs around the county (Pogonip, La Madrona, Seascape) competing in many tournaments. Michael lived a full life, working hard and enjoying it surrounded by the family he cherished. Michael is survived by his wife, Lily Dilloughery of Santa Cruz; daughter, Paula Feinberg and her husband Bruce of Santa Cruz; sons, Eric and his wife Nancy of Capitola, Mike and his wife Corrina of Santa Cruz, and daughter-in-law, Kelly Dilloughery of Santa Cruz; his grandchildren, Sean, Brendan, Ryan, Devan, Brianna, Erica, Mckenzie, Connor, and Michael James; and his great-grandchildren Abby, Emma, Thomas, Camille, and Lily. Michael is also survived by his nieces and nephews of the O'Regan family, Don, Trudy, Gerald, Paddy, Kennedy, and Brian and their families. In addition, Michael leaves his sister, Bunny Healy of Cork City; sister-in-law, Maureen Dilloughery of Douglas, Co. Cork and her children, Alan, Ann, John, David and Mark; sister-in-law, Eileen Dilloughery of Kinsale, Co. Cork and her children John, Catherine and Liz; cousins, Jimmy, Brenda, Pat and Rosemarie as well as numerous relatives in Ireland and England. He also leaves his "adopted" son, Takashi Baba of Japan. Taka became a family member when he arrived in 1972 as a foreign exchange student. Taka has remained a much loved part of the Dilloughery family. Michael was preceded in death by his daughter, Carol (Carly) Dilloughery Whiteside; his son, Kevin Dilloughery; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sheila and Donal O'Regan. A memorial mass will be held at the Oblates of St. Joseph, 544 West Cliff Drive on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 1:00 pm. The Dilloughery family would especially like to thank Maple House for their support and care for Michael during his last remaining months. We would also like to thank Hospice of Santa Cruz for their exceptional and thoughtful guidance during the last days of Michael's life. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of Santa Cruz.