From the July 2, 2024 edition of the washington post

Francis X. O’Leary, a longtime Lyon Park resident and community leader passed away this summer.  O’Leary was a fixture in Arlington politics for decades and contributed to making our community a better place for all of us. May his memory be a blessing. 

Francis Xavier O’Leary “Frank,” retired Treasurer of Arlington County, Virginia, passed away on June 7, 2024, after a heroic battle with leukemia.

Mr. O’Leary was first elected as Arlington County Treasurer in 1983 by a total of 89 votes, earning him the nickname “Landslide O’Leary”. He served from January of 1984 until his retirement in June of 2014. This made him the second longest tenured Constitutional Officer in the modern era in the County. He would point with particular pride to several accomplishments during his thirty years in office. His policies lowered the County’s tax delinquency rate…. achieved a higher rate of return on county investments…..[and] modernized the Treasurer’s Office to reflect the diversity of the Arlington community.

Frank O’Leary was born on July 2,1943, in New York City, NY. The son of a career Army officer, he graduated from Frankfurt American High School in Germany. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point but later transferred to Georgetown University where he graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science Foreign Service (BSFS) degree with a major in Economic Theory. He completed the course work for a Master’s degree in Economic Theory from Georgetown University in 1967.

Mr. O’Leary’s lifetime in public service included membership after college in the New Jersey and District of Columbia National Guard and continued with David Hackett Associates where he worked on a host of anti-poverty programs focused on inner city employment initiatives. 

Through many decades, Frank O’Leary was involved in numerous charitable and community efforts in his Arlington community. He served in various capacities for his Lyon Park civic association, including his role leading the successful fight against the county’s plans to turn his neighborhood street into a busy commuter thoroughfare. ¬¬¬As scoutmaster for Cub Scout Pack 104 at Clarendon United Methodist Church he reenergized what had been a struggling organization. In honor of his friend, the late Delegate Warren Stambaugh who authored the Virginians with Disabilities Act, Mr. O’Leary helped create and was the longtime President of the Stambaugh Foundation. Over the course of twenty-one years, he led the foundation in donating over $200,000 in awards to organizations serving the disabled community or paying for renovations to make local structures more accessible.

He was deeply involved in raising money for several local organizations including the Arlington Historical Society, the Arlington Black Heritage Museum, AHOME (Affordable Housing), and the Arlington Red Cross. In recent years, Mr. O’Leary was active in the Arlington Optimists and was awarded the Arlington Interservice Club Council Man of the Year Award in 2022.

Frank O’Leary was a strong Democrat who mentored scores of candidates, raised funds for local campaigns and committees and aided the Arlington Democratic Party in establishing its dominance over county elections since the 1980s. 

He worked tirelessly to support the USS Arlington Commissioning Committee, helping to raise $438,000 to honor the US Navy ship named for Arlington’s role in responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001. After the ship was commissioned in 2013, he was active in the USS Arlington-Community Alliance established to foster links between the county’s namesake ship, its captain, crew, and the Arlington community.

Frank O’Leary is survived by his devoted wife of 56 years, Linda Banigan O’Leary, his brother, Terence O’Leary, his daughter, Heather O’Leary Moore (Martin), and their daughter, Brianna and his son, Brian O’Leary (Susan) and their two sons, Ian and Rory. He will also be missed by countless friends, allies, colleagues and associates whose lives he touched in his 80 years.