La Cañada attorney dies of lung cancer

Attorney Michael Thomas O’Callaghan, a La Cañada Flintridge resident who was active in many local organizations, died last week in Pasadena. He was 49.

O’Callaghan passed away on Aug. 12 after a long battle with lung cancer, his sister, Margaret O’Callaghan, said. He was never a smoker, she noted.

Throughout the whole ordeal O’Callaghan maintained a good attitude and remained optimistic, his sister said.

“He was just an incredible guy,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face, no matter how bad he was feeling.”

O’Callaghan lived in the city for more than a decade and was active in community organizations and institutions in La Cañada, including St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church and Descanso Gardens.

Born on Dec. 6, 1963, O’Callaghan attended Arcadia High School before graduating from USC and Loyola Law School. He also studied at Georgetown University Law Center and Pepperdine University. He formed his own law firm in 2000.

A memorial service held on Saturday at St. Bede’s drew more than 1,000 people, said Margaret O’Callaghan.

Besides his sister, he is survived by his wife, Linda O’Callaghan, daughters Catherine and Daisy O’Callaghan, and son Andrew Beckner, as well as his mother, Hannah, sister Siobhan, three nephews and one niece. His father, Thomas O’Callaghan, preceded him in death.

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Follow Tiffany Kelly on Google+ and on Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly.

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