Cheryl Reilly Collarini's Obituary
Cheryl Reilly Collarini, age 73, of Covington, passed away on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. She was born on July 12, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
She is survived by her loving husband of 51 years, Richard G. Collarini; son, Daniel Collarini and his wife Nora Chapkovich. She is also survived by her many extended family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jerry Reilly and Elsie Donnaway Reilly; and her brother, David Reilly.
Cheryl graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a degree in civil engineering. She was just one of fifty women who were admitted to MIT the year she was admitted. After graduating, she moved back to New Orleans, where she worked for Mobil Oil Company, joining the young professional women who were just beginning to shatter the glass ceiling in the 1960s and 1970s. She liked to tell the story that she was the first pregnant woman to work on an offshore rig.
Cheryl resigned from Mobil and began her own petroleum consulting firm, representing clients from around the world. Starting from a one-room office, she built Collarini Engineering into a regional consulting firm, and became a well-known fixture in the industry. She literally wrote the book on oilfield economics and was hired by petroleum companies to teach her classes around the world. She also found the time to start another company and was soon one of the leading oil and gas staffing companies in the Gulf South.
Cheryl was a national officer of the Society of Women Engineers, and a regional officer of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, in addition to membership in other professional and charitable organizations. She was a board member of Family Reach Alliance, a charity close to her heart, working with homeless families. While doing all this, she found the time to coach her son’s basketball team, travel the world, and become a gourmet cook. She also was very involved in her parish, Mary Queen of Peace.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mrs. Collarini may be made to the Northshore Humane Society at www.northshorehumane.org/give or to the Family Reach Alliance at familyreachsela.org.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation and funeral services on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m., with the funeral mass beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1501 West Causeway Approach, Mandeville, Louisiana. Interment will follow in the St. Joseph Abbey Cemetery, 75376 River Road, St. Benedict, Louisiana, and then by a celebration of her life at River’s Retreat, 14253 Highway 190, Covington, LA
E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, locally owned and operated, is honored to be entrusted with Mrs. Collarini’s funeral arrangements. Her family invites you to share thoughts, memories, and condolences by signing an online guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com.
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