Francis Aloysius O'Leary was born 18 June 1931 in Crosby, Liverpool, England, the youngest of three children.
He later attended seminaries at Burn Hall, County Durham, and St Joseph's College in Roosendaal, Netherlands.
In 1962, while attending to a sick woman in an empty mud hut, O'Leary realized the need for a hospice care facility.
After receiving advice from Mother Teresa, O'Leary obtained loans and donations to establish more facilities.
The leader of England's Roman Catholics, Archbishop Vincent Nichols was a cousin of Father O'Leary, and is current president of the Jospice organisation.