John Noel Oman

John Noel Oman, 78, of Little Rock passed away Saturday in Jonesboro after a brief illness. He was born on Nov. 10, 1933, in Dublin, Ireland, to William and Margaret Murtagh Oman and was a member of the Catholic faith. Mr. Oman was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Sr. Patricia Joseph, O.S.F., of Aston, Penn., and Eileen Oman Blaney of Dublin, Ireland; and two brothers, William "Billy" Oman and Patrick "Paddy" Oman, both of Dublin. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mary Teresa O'Grady Oman; a daughter, Ruth (Carroll Jr.) Scroggin, of Jonesboro; three sons, Noel (Cynthia) Oman of Little Rock; John (Sinead) Oman of Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland; and Brian (Gigia) Oman of Lake Village; four grandchildren, Brendan Oman of Little Rock, Fearghus Oman of Killorglin and Ian Oman and Molly Oman of Lake Village; three sisters, Sr. Nancy Oman, O.S.F., and Margaret Oman, O.S.F., both of Aston, Penn., and Sr. Agnes Oman, C.S.B., of Selbyville, Del.; and three brothers, Fr. Francis Oman, I.C., of Peoria, Ill.; Ultan Oman of Harrisburg, Penn.; and Peter Oman of Homewood, Ill.; and a host of nieces and nephews. Mr. Oman immigrated to the United States in 1954, celebrating his 21st birthday while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Though he left Ireland long ago, it remained in his heart, accent and wit. He and Mary found fellowship among small but close-knit members of fellow Irish ex-pats in Little Rock who went on to form the Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas. He spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a master sergeant in 1975. It was a career that took him to nearly a dozen nations, including 206 combat missions over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as a flight engineer on a C-130 Hercules. In that role, he earned the Senior Aircrew Wings and Combat Crew Badge and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, among more than a dozen other decorations he earned in his Air Force career. Mr. Oman settled into a second career in Arkansas government, retiring as a grants coordinator for the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention at the Arkansas Department of Health in 1998. He was a member of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society and the Vietnam Veterans of America. A visitation will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday at Ruebel Funeral Home at 6313 W. Markham St. followed by a Rosary at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday at Our Lady of Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock, with Father Erik Pohlmeier as celebrant. Burial will be at noon at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Northeast Arkansas Baptist Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 1960, Jonesboro, Ark., 72401. The family thanks the staff of St. Bernard's Hospice in Jonesboro for the care they provided Mr. Oman. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.