Cornelius John O’Brien born May 5, 1933 passed away peacefully at home Tuesday, January 4, 2022. He was preceded in death by his parents, John C. and Catherine M. O’Brien; brother, Thomas O’Brien; and sister, Jeannine, Bonfiglioli. Connie believed that who he was came from his family nurturing, social and spiritual life. He was committed to his family including his beloved wife of 55 years Carol O’Brien; 5 children, John O’Brien (Patty), Carol Anne Hamilton (Danny), Cornelius Paul “Connie” O’Brien (Amy), Marie Brown (Keith), and Patrick Thomas “Pat” O’Brien; 12 grandchildren, Nicholas "Nick" O'Brien, Ashley O'Brien, Patrick John "PJ" O'Brien, Joshua "Josh" Hamilton (Briana), Jessica Hamilton, Catherine Alexis O'Brien (Rocky Maxwell), Timothy O'Brien (Mary), Zoe Ann O'Brien, Ryan Brown, Linda Brown, Kaia Brown, and Patrick Dillon "Papi" O'Brien; 3 great-grandchildren, John Xander Hamilton, Callie Ava Guthrie, and Lucy Maxwell; sister, Camilla “Cammy” O’Brien; and numerous cousins and other relatives. He considered the church to be like an extended family and expressed a strong bond to the Saint Dominic‘s community who have shared faith and life experiences for half a century. Connie loved people and was involved in numerous organizations throughout his life. From an early age he excelled in sports and continued throughout his life coaching his children during their early years. Later in life he devoted free time to church organizations including leading the local Marriage Encounter group with his wife Carolyn. Connie began his professional career at Bethlehem Steele in Massachusetts. His work on the design for the Navy’s first nuclear powered surface ship, as well as, design of a missile booster suppression system gained the attention of Litton Industries. He spent the majority of his professional career as a naval contractor and Project Manager at Ingall’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Connie’s strong love of family and country developed his life experiences. He witnessed Pearl Harbor, World War II, the Korean War and vividly remembers celebrating in the streets for VE day. Connie became known, loved and will be remembered as “Grandad.” His memory and legacy will live on in the hearts of his family and friends forever.
May 5, 1933 – January 4, 2022
A private graveside service will be held for Cornelius O'Brien.
