Loretta O'Brien

Loretta O'Brien, 93, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed into eternal rest on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

Loretta was born on February 24, 1931 to Anne Marie (Keane) and Thomas Joseph McGuire. A graduate of South Park High School in Buffalo, NY, Loretta went on to attend business college and worked as a secretary at Osmose Company and Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation.

Loretta was married sixty-four joyful years to John J. O'Brien and cherished the life they built together. John and Loretta shared four children, Kathleen Henderson (Edward Henderson); Joanne Crawford (Gerald Crawford); John J. O'Brien, Jr. (Maria Hofmann); and Thomas F. O'Brien (Cynthia Kallelis). Loretta delighted in her sixteen grandchildren and her ever-growing number of great-grandchildren. Each new addition to the family was cause for celebration, a lively anecdote, and a feature on the mantel or photo collage on the wall.

Loretta's resilience and tenacious spirit were evident in her early adolescence, when she overcame polio despite a year of hospitalization and painful therapy. Ever the achiever, Loretta then graduated high school in three years. She was a vibrant storyteller, an accomplished baker, and a skilled typist. She is famously credited for copy typing her husband's master's thesis with speed, accuracy, and diligent attention to detail. With no formal training in chemistry, she depicted complex chemical formulas using a mechanical keystroke typewriter.

For over fifty years, Loretta was a member of St. Ignatius Loyola Roman Catholic Church in Reading, PA. She had deep faith and love for God, which informed her family life and her commitment to service through the hospital auxiliary.

Loretta was a steadfast caregiver to her elderly mother for many years, as well as to her husband, John, before his passing in 2018. She was also predeceased by her brother, Thomas, whom she dearly loved and treasured. Her family, and particularly her mother, shaped and inspired Loretta to reach beyond perceived limits, depend on herself, and pursue a full life.

Loretta created a legacy of love that endures beyond her time on this earth. She gathered friends to her easily, nurturing lifelong friendships from Buffalo to Reading and beyond, including her dear confidantes Peggy and Gloria. Loretta will be remembered by her family and friends as a devoted mother and grandmother, a faithful advocate in prayer, a sparkling wit, and the epitome of Irish eyes that are smiling.

Thank you to those who cared so much at Phoebe Berks, Wernersville, in Loretta's later years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, November 16 at 11:00 a.m. at the Chapel of St. George at Gethsemane Cemetery, 3139 Kutztown Road, Laureldale, PA. A public viewing will be held Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Kuhn Funeral Home and Crematory, 5153 Kutztown Rd, Temple, PA.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Loretta's honor may be sent to Mary's Shelter, 615 Kenhorst Blvd., Reading, PA 19611.