John James Cahill

John James Cahill , a resident of State Road, NC, age 73 died peacefully on April 17, 2016.
He was born in Manhattan, NY on October 1st 1944, the son of John Joseph and Elizabeth Vaugh Cahill.  He graduated St Joseph’s High School in Barrytown NY, a novitiate for the Christian Brothers, and from Manhattan College as a member of the class of 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
John married his wife of 51 years, Aileen, in October of 1964.  John then joined the Bank of New York where he worked for five years and entered the technology industry as a computer programmer before moving to ITT Sheraton and starting his 37 year career in the hospitality industry.
John and Aileen moved with their five children from New Jersey to the Boston area to work with ITT Sheraton for the next thirteen years.  During his time at Sheraton, John traveled to over 70 countries, whilst moving through the ranks and eventually becoming Sheraton’s first ever director of hotel computer systems.
John’s long career continued as CIO at InterContinental Hotels and then Denihan Hospitality Group, from which he retired in 2009.  John was renowned in the hospitality industry and his depth of knowledge earned him a multitude of industry awards and accolades including a place in HFTP’s International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame in 1993. He is a published author, enjoyed teaching aspiring hospitality industry students, and was a favored speaker at hospitality conferences worldwide.
After retiring, John and Aileen moved to the home they built in North Carolina, near nine of their seventeen grandchildren. During retirement, John became active in his new community, becoming a true local.  He was heavily involved with the Yadkin Valley Rotary including serving as president and treasurer, and became a Paul Harris fellow in 2015. John and Aileen were avid supporters of the Elkin Valley Trails Association and were often seen walking their labrador, Dixie along the trail. At St Stephen parish, John was a lector, eucharistic minister, the finance director, and Confirmation sponsor to his son-in-law Barry.
He is survived by his wife Aileen; his three daughters: Mary Blackburn and her husband Barry of Elkin NC; Aileen Blass and her husband Brett of Upper Saddle River NJ; and Margaret Rogan and her husband Frank of Sammamish, WA; and two sons: John and his wife Vanessa of Kingsport, TN; and Paul and his wife Lesley of Portage, MI; three sisters: Mary Mooney, Anne Ryan, and Margaret Tripptree; and brother Neil and his wife Lorraine; his eighteen grandchildren: Andrew Cahill, Erin Cahill, Rose Forest, Vincent Cahill, Wagner Forest, Jarett Blackburn, Samantha Cahill, Theresa Cahill, Claire Blass, Carolyn Blackburn, Allison Cahill, Jamie Cahill, Julia Blass, Matthew Rogan, Charles Rogan, Caleb Cahill, Violet Cahill and Nora Cahill; and twenty five nieces and nephews.  John was also predeceased by his sixth and youngest child Denis William who died at age five in 1979.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday April 22 at 11:30 AM at the First United Methodist Church, 340 Hawthorne Rd Elkin, NC.  Burial will be in Hingham, MA at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to his favorite charities:
The John J. Cahill Yadkin Valley Rotary Scholarship, P.O. Box 212, Elkin, NC 28621 or to the St. Stephen Church Foundation, c/o Janis McQuade, SSJ, 101 Hawthorne Road, Elkin, NC 28621