Patrick T. O'Brien

Patrick Thomas O’Brien, 68, of Bremen, passed away at 6:53 pm, Tuesday, October 13, 2015 in his home. Patrick was born in Munich Germany on May 30, 1947, the son of the late Thomas H. and Paulette S. O’Brien. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia O’Brien of Bremen; two children, Megan O’Brien and Patrick T. (Jessica) O’Brien, Jr., both of San Diego, CA; three step children, Kimberly (Aron) Leeper of Bremen, Jodi (Jon) Feldman of Bremen and Troy Young, currently stationed in Iwakuni, Japan; and two grandchildren, Patrick T. O’Brien, III and Daisy O’Brien. He is also survived by four siblings, Ann (Dale) Edgerinton of Frederick, MA, Kitty Nichols of MA, John O’Brien of VA, and Daniel O’Brien of WV. He is preceded in death by his parents, daughter, Molly O’Brien and brother Robert O’Brien. Patrick’s persistent and thoughtful love for God and others touched countless lives. His life took him down many roads. As a young man he served with the US Navy in Vietnam, worked for several churches California and started a family. His desire to provide for his family introduced him to many different careers from truck driving, to real-estate management. About three years ago he met the love of his life, his wife Cindy O’Brien and moved to Bremen, Indiana where he has lived very happily. In addition to being a devoted husband to his wife Cindy, Patrick was highly active in his church, Tree of Life Anglican of South Bend, IN. When he wasn’t at home cooking gourmet meals for Cindy, Patrick could often be found at his church doing repairs, participating in Bible studies, mentoring a local teenager, helping lead worship, praying for and counseling with his fellow church members and even preaching from time to time. All who met him were struck by his genuine love, faithfulness and humble spirit. Over the last year, Patrick took steps to deepen his Christian faith by enrolling in two distance learning master’s degrees in theology, one at Liberty University of Virginia and the other at the Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Florida. He was due to graduate in May. Patrick was a keen student and enjoyed sharing his theological research with others in the hope that his work would deepen faith and grow the church. He had a sense that God had a purpose for him going back to school even in the later years of his life. Earlier this month, Patrick also took the Benedictine vows of “Obedience, Stability and Conversion of Life” with the Company of Jesus, a monastic order associated with the Anglican Church. Through his membership in the Company of Jesus Patrick sought to grow in his love for Christ and to become more Christ like every day. His friends and family are confident that he now has the joy of seeing his Lord Jesus face-to-face. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Monday, October 19, 2015 at Tree of Life Anglican Church, 839 Woodcliff Dr., South Bend, IN (located at the corner of Woodcliff and Corby). Rev. Heather Ghormley will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the church in Patrick’s honor.