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Longtime Kings County resident, district attorney, judge, John O'Rourke passes
The longtime Kings County resident, Kings County District Attorney and Superior Court Judge passed away on Thursday, March 9 in his Hanford home.
During World War II he attended Grangeville Grade School, which later became Pioneer School. In 1948 John began attending Lemoore High School. He liked football, but his gridiron career ended when he broke his collar bone making a tackle.
He was a member of the Lemoore High School Future Farmers of America, and during his high school days he ran for and was elected student body treasurer. He graduated in 1952. The money he earned from selling his FFA projects helped to finance some of his college expenses.
Off to Notre Dame he went where he first majored in chemistry and then transferred to geology at the end of his second year. He graduated in 1956 with a BS degree and a lasting love for the fighting Irish.
At Notre Dame, he participated in ROTC and after college was commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve and served two years. His first assignment was as the petroleum engineer of the Marianas Islands, responsible for the quality control of all petroleum products on the island of Guam.
Later he was transferred to be the security officer for the Naval Supply Depot, Guam. After 18 months on Guam he went to sea duty aboard the USS FLoyd B. Parks. He visited New Zealand, Eniwetok, Hong Kong, Japan and Formosa patrol while serving as the ship’s gunnery officer.
In 1959 John married his college sweetheart, Joan, on January 3. They met at a football game at Notre Dame in his sophomore year. In June, he was released from active duty and returned to the Hanford and Lemoore area where he worked for Coberly and Plumb in agriculture, with a short stint selling life insurance. Their first daughter, Margaret Mary (Peggy), was born on October 10. Sadly, she died in an airplane crash in May of 1979.
In 1960 John was admitted to the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco and graduated three years later with an LLB. While in law school, their second child John was born in January of 1961. Funds were short so he worked at J.C. Penny’s and became active in the naval reserve unit in Tulare. He stayed with the navy reserve in Dinuba and Fresno until retiring in September of 1983 with the rank of captain.
In 1963 John started his law career with Clawson and Jennings law as a law clerk. In September of 1963 their daughter Catherine (Katie) was born.
In December, he learned that he has passed the bar exam. After passing he was promoted in his firm and now was an attorney.
In 1965 another daughter Ellen Therese was born, but she passed away shortly after in July 1965. In 1966 a song, Tom was born.
In 1966 John was appointed to the job of Kings County District Attorney. He was elected three more times. For a short nine-month stint he also served as county counsel. After three terms, he left and went into private practice, opening an office in January of 1979.
He maintained his private practice until 1985 when he was appointed as the judge of Hanford Justice Court by the Kings County Board of Supervisors. A superior court ruling converted the justice court to a municipal court. Later the municipal court was changed to the Kings County Municipal Court when the Lemoore and Corcoran courts were combined with the Hanford Municipal court.
In 2000 he was reassigned to the family and juvenile court calendar and was transferred to the Lemoore court and soon was elevated to the position of superior court judge. He was active as a member of the assigned judge program and by direction of the chief justice of California was assigned to different counties to relive the overload of different courts.
During his long career, John served on the Kings County Cancer Board, Kings County Lung Association, American Heart Association Board. He helped form the Kings County Art League and served with the Kings County Navy League, and was a Boy Scout Assistant Scoutmaster. He served on the YMCA Board of Directors and was president of the Thomas McCarthy School Parents’ Club. He was a member of the Hanford Rotary Club, Hanford Elks, American Legion and Knights of Columbus, and was active in St. Brigid’s Church.
The Hon. John O’Rourke will be well remembered for his devotion to God, family, country, and community with his affability, friendliness, generosity of materials and time. He was always very happy to stand and serve pancakes, snow cones, fireworks, set up tables, collect chairs, stir pots, or wash pots, for numerous service organizations: Extraordinary Minister and lector for St. Brigid’s Parish, Knights of Columbus (Grand Knight 2011), Rotarian, school parent volunteer for McCarthy School, Hanford High, American Cancer Society, Kings County Art League and Symphony, Kings Players, YMCA Board, Elks, Scouting, 4-H, Lemoore High School Hall of Fame, and IDES.
Recently John and Joan became life-professed members of the lay Dominican Order. He was proud to be a member of the Dominican community.
Judge O’Rourke is survived by his wife Joan (Tyne), his spouse of 58 years; brother Richard; children John and his wife Darlene; Katie and her husband Greg Delano; Thomas and his wife Nancy; six grandchildren: Nicholas, Joseph, John, Dominic, Rose, and Sean; and many wonderful nieces and nephews.
May John rest in peace.
Recitation of the rosary will be Thursday, March 16, 6 p.m. at St. Brigid’s Catholic Parish (Douty and Florinda), Hanford, CA. Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St. Brigid’s Friday, March 17, 10 a.m.
Donations may be made to the Peggy O’Rourke Memorial Fund.
