Obituary of Innis O'Rourke

INNIS O'ROURKE Innis O'Rourke, Jr. of Locust Valley, New York and Venice, FL passed away peacefully after a brief illness in Venice. He was 87. He was born Sept. 22, 1921 in Kings Point, Queens, NY, the son of Innis O'Rourke, Sr. and Augusta Linherr Travers. He graduated from The Buckley Country Day School '35, The Hotchkiss School '39 and Yale University '43W. At Yale, he was a member of the varsity football and rugby teams. A member of ROTC while at Yale, he entered the United States Naval Service in December 1942, and served in World War II on several destroyers in the Asiatic-Pacific theatre and the Philippine Liberation, as a lieutenant and executive officer. After the war, he settled on Long Island, New York, and joined his family's business with his father and brother. He became the president of Precast, Inc. of Astoria, Queens, NY and The Concrete Conduit Corp. of Flushing, Queens, NY, which specialized in the manufacturing of precast and prestressed concrete forms. He served for many years as a trustee of The Village of Upper Brookville, NY, and was their police commissioner and roads commissioner for years also. He was a past arbitrator for The New York Stock Exchange, and he served on the board of The Greenpoint Savings Bank, Jamaica Water and Power, and KSW, Inc. He was a perennial fundraiser for The North Shore/LIJ Glen Cove Hospital, and helped run their "picnic pops" concert at Old Westbury Gardens. He was a member of The Yale Club of New York City, The Fence Club, The Book & Snake Club, The Creek Club, Locust Valley, NY where he was an honorary governor and member of several committees. He was a member of the parish of St. Dominic R.C. Church in Oyster Bay, NY . He married Louise Fraser March 4, 1950. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Louise, and by his son, Innis O'Rourke III, M.D. (wife, Allison) of Upper Brookville, NY, his daughter, Colleen Louise O'Rourke Carson (husband, Phil) of Beverly Hills, CA, and three grandchildren, Innis O'Rourke IV, Shea Gilchrist O'Rourke, and Connor Travers O'Rourke. He was predeceased by his brother, Vincent Travers O'Rourke. His Grandfather, John Francis O'Rourke, was a civil engineer whose company built the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge and many of the railroad tunnels under the East and Hudson Rivers that connect with Manhattan He also built the foundations for the 120 Broad Street building and The New York Stock Exchange. A memorial service will be held in late May on Long Island, New York. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Freedom Institute of New York City or to a charity of one's choice. Englewood Community Funeral Home & Cremation Services have been selected to handle arrangements. You may express your condolences to the O'Rourke family at www.englewoodfh.com