Thomas James O'Brien
Born: September 2nd, 1948
Passed on: January 10th, 2009
60, Glace Bay Now gone but forever in our hearts we announce the passing of Thomas James O'Brien on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009, at Cape Breton Regional Hospital's An Cala Palliative Care Unit. Born in Glace Bay, Sept. 2, 1948, he was the son of Alphonse and Viola 'Lu' (Walsh) O'Brien. Tom was a proud serving member of the Canadian Forces for 30 years. Throughout his career, Tom was posted to many different units and locations in Canada and was a member of the Peacekeeping Force in Ismalia and the Golan Heights. His hard work and dedication allowed him to achieve the rank of captain, prior to his retirement in 1996. Although retired, he still loved the military life and looked on with pride as several of his nephews and a niece chose the military as careers. Aside from his professional achievements Tom will be fondly remembered for his love of sports. Upon his retirement, he took up the game of golf and could be found every morning on the greens of Passchendaele Golf Course, honing his skills. His newfound love of golf was in constant competition with his admiration of the ice rink and right up until his illness, he still spent time playing hockey with the boys as a member of the Bayplex Relics. Besides his parents, Tom is survived by his loving wife, Karen (MacKinnon); his daughters, Shannon Parsons, Halifax, Colleen O'Brien and Paula Sudworth, both of Glace Bay; two grandsons, Ethan, Calgary, and Jensen, Halifax; sisters, Marie Egerdeen (Ike), Kitchener, Ont., Annette O'Brien, Donna O'Donnell (Martin), Sheila Burke (Mike), Vera O'Donnell (Joe) and Paula Parsons (Johnnie); brothers, Jack (Nancy), Wayne (Martha), Mickey, all of Glace Bay; many nieces and nephews and life-long friend, John Morris. Tom was predeceased by a sister, Patsy and brothers, Kevin and Alphonse, grandparents, Tom and Catherine O'Brien and James and Cassie Walsh. A special thank you to the staff of the An Cala Unit (palliative care) of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for their compassion and care for Tom and his entire family during his illness. In honoring Tom's wishes, cremation has taken place and there will be no visitation. A memorial mass will be held Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. in St. John's Church, Glace Bay, with Fr. Leo Boone officiating. Interment will be held in the parish cemetery at a later date. Following the mass all are invited to join the family for a reception in the parish hall. Tom was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3, Glace Bay, and his comrades will form an honour guard in his memory at St. John's Church. Family flowers only. Donations in Tom's memory may be made to the An Cala Unit of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Arrangements have been entrusted to the V.J. McGillivray Funeral Home, Glace Bay. Condolences to the family can be expressed through the funeral home website, www.vjmcgillivray.ca.
