Obituary for John Robert "Jack" O'Brien
John Robert O'Brien, 82, of Wall Township and Juno Beach, FL, died very peacefully while surrounded by his children on May 7, 2020, at his son's home in Asbury Park. Born in Elizabeth to John M. & Estelle (Mitchell), as a young boy Jack moved to Neptune City with his family. He later graduated from St. Rose Grammar School, The Pingry School ('55) and Holy Cross ('59) before enlisting in the US Marine Corps ('59-'61) and achieving the rank of Captain. His education and military service forged within him a deep sense of responsibility, determination, honor and purpose, all of which would guide his future.
In 1966, Jack opened the O'Brien Funeral Home in Wall Township. Years of dedication to his community, from serving on the Planning Board to Kiwanis Club to simply helping other businesses grow and expand, helped to establish both Jack and his business as pillars of that community. His hands-on approach to building the funeral home led him to future real estate developments in Wall Township, and his success as a businessman not only brought Jack to service as Officer for several local banks, it also led him to open another branch of O'Brien Funeral Home in Brick in 1999. Jack was a proud and longstanding member of Manasquan River Golf Club, having served on both the Finance and Membership Committees. A devoted parishioner of St. Catharine - St. Margaret Parish, Jack was a former Usher and participated in the St. Catharine Church Restoration Project.
To Jack, anything worth doing was worth doing right. He embodied the value of hard work, and he led by that example. As comfortable in a board room as he was on a job site, Jack was a true friend to all. He believed that trust is something that must be earned, but he showed us that respect was something we all deserve. His knowledge of geography rivaled that of Rand-McNally, but it was more than just the name of the town - Jack knew which "tribe" came from which "municipality". He had a one-liner for any situation. And while grown men could justly fear him, small children would find comfort in him. He will be missed by many.
Even as his professional interests faded, his devotion to his family was evident until the end. Jack was the father to Lauren O'Neill (& Jeff Groezinger) of Manasquan, Kara (& Michael) O'Shaughnessy of Brielle, John (& Laurie Levan) of Red Bank, and Kevin (& Mark Norkus) of Asbury Park.; devoted Pop to his cherished grandchildren- Mark, Luke, Ava, Max, James & Jude; and brother, uncle, friend and father-figure to so many.
Burial will be at St. Catharine Cemetery, Sea Girt. Memorial Mass with Military Honors will be held in the future.
Jack always reminded everyone of the Eighth Wonder of the World - "the magic of compound interest". While he was most often talking about financial investing, those who knew him well knew that Jack also saw the value of investing in people; and then watching them grow. In lieu of flowers, please invest in the future of someone you love, and that will certainly pay you a nice dividend.
"Semper Fi - Oorah!"
In 1966, Jack opened the O'Brien Funeral Home in Wall Township. Years of dedication to his community, from serving on the Planning Board to Kiwanis Club to simply helping other businesses grow and expand, helped to establish both Jack and his business as pillars of that community. His hands-on approach to building the funeral home led him to future real estate developments in Wall Township, and his success as a businessman not only brought Jack to service as Officer for several local banks, it also led him to open another branch of O'Brien Funeral Home in Brick in 1999. Jack was a proud and longstanding member of Manasquan River Golf Club, having served on both the Finance and Membership Committees. A devoted parishioner of St. Catharine - St. Margaret Parish, Jack was a former Usher and participated in the St. Catharine Church Restoration Project.
To Jack, anything worth doing was worth doing right. He embodied the value of hard work, and he led by that example. As comfortable in a board room as he was on a job site, Jack was a true friend to all. He believed that trust is something that must be earned, but he showed us that respect was something we all deserve. His knowledge of geography rivaled that of Rand-McNally, but it was more than just the name of the town - Jack knew which "tribe" came from which "municipality". He had a one-liner for any situation. And while grown men could justly fear him, small children would find comfort in him. He will be missed by many.
Even as his professional interests faded, his devotion to his family was evident until the end. Jack was the father to Lauren O'Neill (& Jeff Groezinger) of Manasquan, Kara (& Michael) O'Shaughnessy of Brielle, John (& Laurie Levan) of Red Bank, and Kevin (& Mark Norkus) of Asbury Park.; devoted Pop to his cherished grandchildren- Mark, Luke, Ava, Max, James & Jude; and brother, uncle, friend and father-figure to so many.
Burial will be at St. Catharine Cemetery, Sea Girt. Memorial Mass with Military Honors will be held in the future.
Jack always reminded everyone of the Eighth Wonder of the World - "the magic of compound interest". While he was most often talking about financial investing, those who knew him well knew that Jack also saw the value of investing in people; and then watching them grow. In lieu of flowers, please invest in the future of someone you love, and that will certainly pay you a nice dividend.
"Semper Fi - Oorah!"