Martin James Geraghty of La Grange, formerly of Hinsdale, died Sept. 28, 2024.
Martin, 88, was born in 1936 in Hornsby, Australia, a suburb of Sydney. He raised prize finches, won national awards for his copper smithing and was a master welder all by the age of 18. Martin attended St Patrick's College in Strathfield NSW, served in the Royal Australian Army after secondary school and received a master of management degree from the Australia Institute of Management.
Martin married Patricia Rowe, and the two were together for 60 years until Patricia's passing in January 2022.
He started his professional career as a mechanical engineer at Clark Industries in Sydney before a factory engineer job opportunity at the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. began what would be a long and successful career with the firm. As a result of his creating efficiency in gum wrapping equipment, fixing machines that had remained dormant for months and improving the quality and output volume within the Wrigley factory, Martin was promoted to factory manager. William Wrigley Jr. caught notice of the factory's performance and asked Martin to come to Chicago for a visit in 1971 and was asked to lead Wrigley's USA manufacturing.
The Geraghty family moved from Sydney to Chicago, settling in Hinsdale in 1973. A promotion to global operations lead for Wrigley took him around the world. Martin opened factories for Wrigley in India, Africa, Russia and China. He retired from Wrigley as the group senior vice president of global operations in 2000. He and Patricia built a retirement home in Alsace, France, but kept their home base in Hinsdale until 2017, at which point they moved to Plymouth Place in La Grange.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Patricia Anne Geraghty, nee Rowe; and his granddaughter, Vivien Geraghty-Reimus.
He is survived by his children, Angela Catherine (David) Rouse, Kerry-Anne Morgan, Vincent James (Susan) Geraghty and Jennifer Margaret Grace (Don) Geraghty-Reimus; his grandchildren, Richard (Esther) Rouse, Rebecca (Tristan) Bowman, Hannah (James) Holding, Samantha (Charles) Willey, Grace, Liam and Emmet Morgan and Walter, Thompson and Margie Geraghty; his great-grandchildren, Eliza, Lachlan and Jack Rouse, William and Zoe Bowman, and Emma Holding; and his siblings, Eileen, Paddy, Noelene and Terry.
A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11 at St. Isaac Jogues Church, 306 W. Fourth St., Hinsdale.
A reception and lunch will follow at Plymouth Place, 315 N. LaGrange Road in LaGrange Park.
Inurnment is private at Bronswood Cemetery in Oak Brook. Flowers are requested.
Sullivan Funeral Home of Hinsdale handled the arrangements.
