07/30/2024
The Tinley Park Progress offers our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Retired Brigadier Gen. Patrick E. Rea, who served as a Commissioner, Trustee and later Village Clerk for the Village of Tinley Park, passed away early Saturday morning at age 84 of natural causes.
“Pat was a leader, a mentor, a great storyteller and, above all, a great friend with a wonderful sense of humor,” said former Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki, who served with Gen. Rea for his entire career. “He’ll be remembered as a selfless public servant who always put his community first and did everything with integrity and an old-school sense of honor.”
Gen. Rea, a native of Tinley Park, was educated in Community Consolidated School District 146 schools and graduated from Central and Bremen High schools. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and business, and a Master of Arts degree in economics, history and political science. He afterward attended the Army War College in Pennsylvania and received a Master of Science degree in military police and international relations.
Gen. Rea was commissioned from the University of Illinois ROTC in 1963 and was deployed to Vietnam shortly thereafter. He served as an Assistant Division Commander and Acting Commander of the 85th Division in the United States Army, commanding at every level from platoon to brigade throughout his 30 years of military service. Having served throughout the United States, Asia and Europe, Gen. Rea received the 2004 Secretary of Defense Medal of Outstanding Public Service Award.
Gen. Rea began his corporate and governmental career in the late 1960s, becoming a Tinley Park commissioner in 1968 while serving in the active and reserve forces of the United States Army. He was appointed as Village Trustee in 1971, becoming one of the youngest members of the Village Board in its then 79-year history. He was subsequently reelected for 10 consecutive terms as Trustee and then appointed to Village Clerk in 2009, where he served until leaving office in 2017. During his life, he also served as Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
“Pat loved Tinley Park to his very core,” Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said. “The welfare of our Village and the people in it were never far from his thoughts, and it showed in how passionately he served the people of Tinley Park throughout his nearly 50-year career. His guidance and leadership will be sorely missed.”
During his time on the Village Board, Gen. Rea’s leadership and foresight enabled the Village to maintain economic diversity and a sound fiscal position during the largest growth period in the Village’s history.
“Gen. Rea leaves behind a distinguished career of professional achievements and dedicated public service, including his many years serving our country in the Armed Forces,” said Village Manager Pat Carr, himself an Air Force veteran. “Pat was always a staunch advocate for veterans, and it was his hard work that helped establish the Village’s Veterans Commission in 1974.”
During his final years, Gen. Rea was Chairperson of the Tinley Park Sister Cities Commission, which is part of a nationwide initiative to exchange ideas, develop business ties and establish friendships with communities across the world. During the 1980s and 1990s, he was instrumental in forming ties with Tinley Park’s sister cities in Mallow, Ireland, Nowy Sacz, Poland and especially in Budingen, Germany, where he maintained lifelong friends with leadership and royalty throughout his life.
“His travels took him all around the world, bringing Tinley Park international recognition,” said Former Mayor Dave Seaman, who also served for decades with Gen. Rea as Village Trustee. “He was truly a worldly man who loved to make new friends and forge lasting relationships. We’ll all miss him very much.”
Gen. Rea’s legacy lives on at the Patrick E. Rea Veterans Plaza adjacent to the south entrance of the 80th Avenue Metra train station, which was named in his honor and celebrates each branch of the military.
