John O'Brien

          John O'Brien, Age 85, of Waltham, passed away on January 23, 2021. Beloved husband of Joanne (Uttaro) O’Brien. Loving father of John O’Brien & his wife LuAnn, Kimberlee Donahue & her husband John, Robyn Logue & her husband Brian and Tammy Bennett & her late husband Jim. Cherished “Papa” to 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Dear brother of the late Andrew O’Brien, Eileen Clarke, Eleanor Furtado and Theresa Atherton. 

               John married his beloved wife Joanne of Wellesley on June 30th 1957 and enjoyed (63) wonderful years of marriage.  Together and in the early days, mom and dad worked a variety of jobs to make ends meet. If it had wheels, dad drove it. Tractor trailers, oil delivery trucks, buses and trains.  Dad worked for the MBTA for 25 years before retiring in June of 1997.  Dad was a planner and mom was the one who enabled Dad’s dreams to become reality.  Together they were an unmatched team that was unstoppable.  John was a hard-working family man whose priorities were always clear.  Family First!

           Our Papa was simply the best. He had the most distinctive voice, the best laugh, the biggest smile, and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.  And he loved his family more than anything; his wife, his kids, his 7 grandkids, and his 7 great grandkids were everything to him (in addition to the MBTA, lobster, & Boston sports teams). He taught me so much, from his elaborate (made up) stories about the “war” on Pork Chop Hill and his days running the streets of Somerville, to teaching me expressions like “go pound sand”, and so many more…

            All who were lucky enough to know you loved you, and I feel so blessed to have had you as long as I did. Thank you for the laughs, for the pickle runs, the “war” stories, sharing cigars, the “good afternoons!

            Papa, You taught me everything from using hand tools to mowing the grass, having a side hustle, rolling coins, working harder than I thought is possible, multi-family investing, Wild West movies, to my career choices, to finding the right woman and what a true man stands for with his family and how to take care of them.

          I can confidently say that you shaped me into the woman I am today. You are the one who gave me my sense of humor, love of ice cream, storytelling abilities, my blue eyes, and so much more. You impacted every life you touched for the better and you lit up every room with your sky-blue eyes and rosy cheeks. Our relationship was filled with traditions that I will forever cherish and continue to follow. The unique and hilarious sarcasm that we shared will forever live in my heart. You had a story for every person and every situation.  You were so entertaining.

          Our dad was an absolute diamond in the rough! Our friends were our dad’s friends. Dad loved fun, adventure and creating moments in time with our family and friends that will forever be cherished.

          We promise to honor you and your memory each and every day and to live my life as you taught each of us. Take that chance, go for it and do it with passion!

We Love You Dad!

               Family and friends are welcome to gather to honor and celebrate John’s life with Visiting Hours in the Nardone Funeral Home, 373 Main Street, WATERTOWN, on Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 PM, and again on Thursday at 9:00 AM, followed by Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM in Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish, 920 Trapelo Rd, Waltham.  A burial will be held at Mt. Feake Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, our family asks you to consider making a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

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