Gerald "Jeff" P. O'Brien

Gerald P. O'Brien, fondly known as "Jeff" to his family and friends, age 93, of Tewksbury and East Dennis, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2022, with his loving family at his side.

Jeff was born on March 13, 1929, in Charlestown, MA; he was the cherished son of the late Cornelius and Margaret O'Brien.  Jeff moved to Wilmington where he was raised and educated.

Jeff enlisted in the United States Army on September 7, 1946; he served during the Korean war and received several medals for his fine service. Following his honorable discharge from the Military on July 1, 1952, Jeff, returned home to Wilmington and quickly became involved in many community activities.  Jeff started a donut shop in the Silver Lake area of Wilmington called "Jeff's Donuts".   Jeff also was actively involved in the building of St. Dorothy's Church .  Jeff was man of great faith.

Jeff married his first wife Patricia in 1953; the couple moved to Tewksbury and became parents to three wonderful daughters.  Following Patricia's untimely death in 1973, he found himself a single parent and was very devoted to his daughters.  Jeff did find love again with a beautiful lady named Ann Canny; the couple married on October 16, 1976 and would have celebrated their 46th anniversary.  Jeff and Ann, along with their family shared many wonderful times together.

Prior to retiring, Jeff, worked at the Brockway Smith Company for over 47 years.  Jeff started in the maintenance department and with a lot of hard work made his way up to Maintenance Supervisor.  Jeff got along well with his co-workers as well his bosses; he made many long-time friends.

Jeff and Ann, along with their family spent many wonderful times together at their family home in East Dennis on Cape Cod.  Jeff loved taking his morning walks through the neighborhood; he had such a pleasant personality and talked to everyone he met.  Jeff was dubbed the "mayor of the neighborhood"; a title he enjoyed.  Following his retirement, Jeff and Ann spent more time on the Cape and he became an active parishioner of Our Lady Of The Cape Church in Brewster, MA.  Jeff looked forward to his weekly duties as an usher and enjoyed participating IN the men's groups at the church as well as calling the numbers back at bingo.

Jeff will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a devoted family man, a great neighbor and a true friend.  Jeff had an endearing personality and welcomed everyone with a warm smile; he made everyone feel loved.  Throughout his life he lived by the motto "work hard and be kind".

Jeff was the beloved husband of 46 years to Ann D. (Canny) O'Brien, devoted father of Mariann O'Brien of Lowell, Nancy Wheeler of Wellesley and Patricia DeFeo & her husband Richard of Walkertown, NC.  Loving "Grampie" of Stephanie Hunter & her husband Terrance, Kyle DeFeo, Ryan DeFeo and "Great-Grampie" of Jordan and Kobe Hunter.  Cherished son of the late Cornelius and Margaret (Stewart) O'Brien, dear brother of Hazel O'Brien of Wilmington, the late James O'Brien, Cornelius "Manny" O'Brien, and Phyllis Flaherty.  Jeff was also husband of the late Patricia O'Brien who passed in 1973.  He is further survived by his nieces, nephews and their families.

Family and friends will gather at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington, on Thursday, October 20th at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Dorothy's Church, Main St. (Rte. 38), Wilmington, at 10:00 a.m.  Interment with Military Honors will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington.  Visiting Hours will be held at the Funeral Home on Wednesday, October 19th from 4:00-7:00 p.m.

To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit our website at www.nicholsfuneralhome.com