Alexander Leys O’Hanley, MD, age 89, of Lexington, MA and a native Newporter, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 17th at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, MA surrounded by his wife and son. Al was born on December 31, 1933 at Newport Hospital to the late William and Isabella (Leys) O’Hanley. He was the oldest of their 3 children and the brother of Lila O’Hanley Farley (Ray) and his sister Jean O’Hanley Cooney (Danny). Al attended De La Salle Academy class of 1950, Providence College class of ’54 and B.U. Medical School, class of ’58. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at the Providence Lying-In Hospital which is now Women and Infants, and in 1962 started his own practice in Waltham, Ma. and later at his family home in Belmont. In 1967, Al was drafted into the Vietnam War and joined the Navy. He moved his family to Cherry Hill, N.J., and then to Newport, R.I. to be closer to family. After completing his service, he decided to make a career change, so after moving back to Belmont, he applied and was accepted into Harvard Medical School to become a Psychiatrist. Al practiced psychiatry from 1970 until he retired at age 87 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Al is survived by his wife, Mary (Thegze) O’Hanley and their son Luke both of Lexington, MA., his daughters, Anne (Mike) Edward of Boston and Newport, R.I., Elizabeth Stamps (Steven) of Lincoln, R.I., his sons William (Sabra) of Middletown, R.I. and Alex (Bridgeen) O’Hanley of Bristol, R.I., a daughter Marianna O’Hanley of Bowling Green, KY and a nephew, Bryan Leys (Katie) Cooney of Middletown, R.I. He was predeceased by a daughter, Jean Ellen O’Hanley, and brothers in law, Ray Farley and Danny Cooney. Al was blessed with 11 grandchildren and 5 beautiful great grand children.
Al was fortunate to know and have many friends from all walks of life. He took care of “all creatures great and small”! He considered all his friends ” the salt of the earth” especially those he grew up with. The Newport bond was certainly a strong one. Al had a deep love for the Red Sox and looked forward to watching every game with Mary by his side. In his earlier years, Al was an avid tennis player and a member of Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, MA., The Belmont Hill Club and The Tennis Hall of Fame. Later in life, he dusted off his old golf clubs and began to play again. Recently, his days were more simple. He enjoyed reading the newspaper, doing Suduko, playing Wordle and the NYT crossword puzzles. One of his favorite pastimes was to read the paper on the porch of Hazards Beach or on the piazza of his old homestead on Malbone Road, listening to his wife play the piano and sharing stories of a quiet humble life with his son Luke. He gave each of his children a wonderful foundation and taught each one to keep an open mind, gather the facts and look at all of life’s different angles before making a decision. There is no denying he had a very beautiful and full life and he shared all that he could with so many.
Services will be held on Monday, October 23, 2023 from Memorial Funeral Home at 9:00am to pay our last respects to Al followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Church at 10:00 o’clock in Newport. A family burial service will follow at St. Columba Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to be made to Providence College, 1 Cunningham Square, Providence, R.I. 02918
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