Teresa O'Brien

Teresa O'Brien (100)
Matriarch, Teacher

Teresa (Tess) Ryan O'Brien, 100, of Waverly, NY, died on November 19, 2007 at the Tioga Nursing Facility, where she was a resident since August 2005. Mrs. O'Brien was born March 3, 1907 in Big Flats, NY, to Timothy and May Ryan. She graduated from Elmira College in 1928 with a double major in History and French. While teaching high school in Minoa, NY, she studied library science at Geneseo State Teachers College, nearly earning her Master's Degree. In 1932, she moved to Waverly, NY, where she taught until her marriage to J. Edwin O'Brien, who later co-founded the nationally known O'Brien's Inn on Waverly Hill. They were married on Easter Monday, April 22, 1935. After raising their six children, she returned to teaching at Muldoon Junior High School, Waverly, from 1957 until her retirement in 1972. Mrs. O'Brien approached her classes enthusiastically, appreciated the camaraderie with her colleagues, and is remembered by her former students for giving them extra attention and well-timed words of encouragement. Earlier in her life, she was an accomplished seamstress, sewing the latest fashions for herself and her sister, the late Aileen Crichton. For several decades, she enjoyed playing the piano. She particularly liked to recount the pleasure of dancing with her husband, Ed, at Sayre dances in the 1930's and later to Guy Lombardo's Band in New York City. She continued her lifelong love of music by following the televised Lawrence Welk Shows and other musical programs. Between her retirement and the mid-1980's, she and her husband vacationed at what became their favorite destinations: The Amish Countryside of Lancaster, PA, and The Polynesian Village in Orlando, FL. After the death of her husband, Mrs. O'Brien cherished the numerous visits and phone calls from her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends at her home on Waverly Hill. Mrs. O'Brien was a member of St. James Catholic Church, Waverly, for nearly 75 years. She had a devotion to the Blessed Mary and the Rosary. She was predeceased by her husband, Ed in 1994; and her son, Jim O'Brien, of Waverly, in 1998. She is survived by sons, Timothy O'Brien, Bart O'Brien, both of Waverly, and J. Edwin O'Brien, Jr. and his wife, Beverly of Painted Post, NY; daughters, Tess McDade of Falls Church, VA, and Ann O'Brien of Alexandria, VA; granddaughter, Aileen McEvoy and her husband, Peter of Waverly; daughter-in-law, Julie (Jim) O'Brien of Waverly; sister-in-law, Mary (Paul) O'Brien of Elmira; 20 other grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and many caring friends. Friends and family are invited to call at the Luckner Funeral Home, 449 Park Avenue, Waverly, NY, on Friday, November 23, from 4-7 p.m. with Rosary and prayers at 6:45, and again on Saturday, November 24, from 9-10 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 24, at 10:30 at St. James Catholic Church, Chemung, and Clark Streets, Waverly, NY. Celebrants will be Fr. Thomas O'Brien, nephew of the deceased and Parochial Vicar, Elmira, and Fr. Richard Farrell, Pastor, St. Mary's Church, Elmira. Interment will follow at St. James Cemetery, Waverly, NY. Friends and family are cordially invited to gather at a reception in St. James Church Hall immediately after Mass or the burial.