2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2062

Celebrating the life of Patricia Anne Reilly.

Agreed to by the Senate, June 22, 2026

WHEREAS, Patricia Anne Reilly, an accomplished Peace Corps volunteer and journalist, dedicated civic leader, and beloved member of the Middleburg community, died on June 6, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Patricia “Pat” Reilly graduated from St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey, before earning a bachelor's degree in English education at Truman State University and a master's degree in journalism at Ohio University; and

WHEREAS, Pat Reilly served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Buchanan, Liberia, from 1972 to 1975, teaching English, and she was later a Peace Corps recruiter in New York City and on the campus of Ohio University; and

WHEREAS, for many years, Pat Reilly remained involved with community organizations and initiatives in Liberia, including Friends of Liberia, the Liberian Education Assistance Project, and Liberia's Family Literacy Initiative, which she helped establish; she also served as chair of the board of the National Peace Corps Association; and

WHEREAS, Pat Reilly embarked upon a career in journalism in 1981 at The Middletown Times Herald-Record in New York, and she went on to work as a reporter and editor for five national newspapers over the next two decades, including The Washington Post and New York Newsday; and

WHEREAS, later in her career, Pat Reilly served as a public affairs officer for the United States Environmental Protection Agency and as a national spokesperson for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where she helped launch the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center before retiring from the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2011; and

WHEREAS, in retirement, Pat Reilly championed Irish heritage and culture on the board of Solas Nua and by directing the annual Capital Irish Film Festival from 2015 to 2023; and

WHEREAS, Pat Reilly was deeply involved with the League of Women Voters for many years and recently served both as president and co-president of the organization's Prince William–Fauquier Area chapter; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout her life by her faith, Pat Reilly was formerly a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville and more recently enjoyed worship and fellowship with her community at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg, where she served on the vestry and as a senior warden; and

WHEREAS, preceded in death by her husband, Richard, Pat Reilly will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by her sister, Mary Jane; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Patricia Anne Reilly, a treasured member of the Middleburg community whose legacy of service will forever inspire all who knew her; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Patricia Anne Reilly as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's respect for her memory.