Charles O'Meilia, longtime NPB official (PBP) 10-18-08The Palm Beach Post
Date: /o fewIf—or
In memory: Charles
O'Meilia, former North
Palm Beach official,
dies: Obituary, 2C
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Charles O'Mei1ia10'gtime
North Palm Beach official
By BILL DIPAOLO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
NORTH PALM BEACH
Charles O'Meilia, a longtime
public services director and
former councilman known
for his passion for the village
and for being a stickler for
municipal detail, died Thurs-
day. He was 85.
Known as Charlie to his
friends, � the Oklahoma native
was short in stature but big
in spirit for the village, his
home since 1968. Mr. O'Mei-
lia served 26 years as public
services director and then 12
years on. the council. Anchor-
age and Osborne parks and
the North Palm Beach Com-
munity Center were built
while he served.
"There wasn't a pipe or
wire he didn't know about.
4.You couldn't find anyone
who put more time or effort
into the village," said former
Councilman Don Noel, who
served with Mr. O'Meilia
from 2000 to 2006.
Mr. O'Meilia was born in
1923 in Tulsa, and earned a
chemistry degree at , Okla-
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the Pacific
during World
War II.
He met ` .
his wife of Mr. 0 Meelia
58 years,
Mary Clare, an Army nurse,
in San Francisco at the end of
the war.
The couple and their five
children moved to Melbourne
in 1963, where Mr. O'Meilia
worked for an engineering
firm. He remained in the
Naval Reserve and retired as
a captain in 1972.
While public service di-
rector in North Palm, Mr.
O'Meilia oversaw everything
from the construction of
Old Port Cove on U.S.- 1 to
maintenance 'of playgrounds
at Anchorage and Osborne
parks.
. He was chairman for
13 years of the Southern
Building Code Congress, a
committee that rewrote hur-
ricane building codes.
Mr. O'Meilia retired in
1994 and then served six
two-year terms on the village
council. When village offi-
cials named the public works
building on Prosperity Farms
Road after him, Mr. O'Meilia
was never comfortable with
the honor, said Councilman
Ed Eissey.
The flag at Village Hall
will remain at half-staff until
his funeral, said Village Man-
ager Jimmy Knight.
"Charlie served ' his coun-'
try and community with.
great honor. We are lucky he
chose North Palm Beach to
be his home," Knight said.
Mr. O'Meilia is survived
by five children and two
brothers. His wife, Mary
Clare, died in 2005. He has
four grandchildren and one
great grandson.
Friends may call from 5
to 7 p.m. Monday at Howard -
Price Funeral Home. In lieu
of flowers, donations can, be
made to the scholarship fund
at St. Clare Catholic Church.
Qbil1_dipaolo@pbpost.com