SHELBYVILLE – Michael Dean O'Rorke, 72, of Shelbyville, died on Wednesday, the 22nd day of February, 2023, at Jewish Hospital in Louisville. Born in Rochelle, Illinois, on the 10th day of October in 1950, and reared there and in Rockford and Winnebago, Illinois, he was the son of the late Robert Hugh and Ramona Ruth VanReenen O'Rorke. He was a Catholic by faith. He worked as a respiratory therapist for over twenty years. A floral designer at Flowers by Sharon in Shelbyville, he also bred, raised, and sold thoroughbred horses. At one time, he remodeled and flipped houses. An excellent cook, he was also adept at canning, quilting, and making pottery. He was extremely gifted and versatile and knowledgeable in many areas, and he will always be remembered by his family as a great source of information, expertise, and advice. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two of his sisters, Marilyn O'Rorke and Gwen O'Rorke.
His survivors include his husband and companion of over twenty-eight years, John Conn of Shelbyville; his daughter, Dawn Renee O'Rorke Cockerel and her husband, Tom, of New Albany, Indiana; his son, Robert Shane O'Rorke and his wife, Rebecca, of Jeffersonville, Indiana; his sisters, Sharon Olszewski and her husband, Gary, of Rochelle, Illinois, and Colleen Peck and her husband, Jan, of Flint, Michigan; and his four grandchildren, Alexis O'Rorke, Caitlin O'Rorke, Logan Cockerel, and Keegan Cockerel.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 P.M., on Wednesday, the 1st day of March, 2023, at the Unger-Horner Funeral Home in Rochelle, Illinois, with Deacon George Schramm officiating. Interment will be in the Saint Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Rochelle. Visitation will be from 5:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M., on Saturday, the 25th day of February, 2023, at the Hall-Taylor Funeral Home of Shelbyville, with remarks and a time of sharing by friends and family at 6:00 P.M. with Pastor Amos Peck officiating. Visitation will continue from 12:30 P.M., until 2:00 P.M., on Wednesday, the 1st day of March, 2023, at the Unger-Horner Funeral Home in Rochelle, Illinois. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the equine retirement farm, Old Friends, Inc., 1841 Paynes Depot Road, Georgetown, Kentucky 40324. Arrangements are under the direction of the Hall-Taylor Funeral Home of Shelbyville and the Unger-Horner Funeral Home of Rochelle, Illinois. Condolences may be expressed at www.halltaylorfuneralhomes.com and at www.ungerhorner.com