ROBERT "BOB" O'BRIEN

O'BRIEN, Robert Bob Died on April 8, 2014 as a result of a fall-related head injury. He was 82 years old. He leaves his wife Caroline, his sister Margaret O'Brien Lavallee, and a large family of 7 children and step-children, 17 grandchildren, a niece, 3 nephews, and 7 great-nieces/nephews. Bob grew up in Providence, RI, attended Manhattan College and later Harvard Business School, and also served as an artillery officer in the US Army. Bob had wide-ranging pursuits and accomplishments throughout his career. He was a successful entrepreneur in the 1960s with pioneering ventures including the first company to market corporate fitness programs and an early cable-TV venture that linked surgeons to rural low income hospitals in Puerto Rico. He advised both Massachusetts and Puerto Rico governments on the development of commercial fisheries and he launched a company that consulted with the Federal government on bio-dynamic and ocean-related research. He worked for many years as a management consultant for a broad range of corporate and pro-bono clients, ranging from several Fortune 500 companies to St. Josephs Abbey in Massachusetts. He was a longtime Board Director for the Carroll Center for the Blind and also for the National Braille Press. He tutored and mentored many students at the School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. Bob loved his hobbies as well. He was an avid reader, a beautiful writer, an accomplished amateur historian and a lover of classical and jazz music. He spent thousands of hours restoring, tinkering with and showing off his collection of old cars. He loved sailing, from his boyhood summers on Narragansett Bay to later summers on Cape Cod and Boston Harbor. In recent years he took up soaring and greatly enjoyed his time both in the air and on the ground with his fellow glider pilots. He was a regular visitor to St. Josephs Abbey, and his time spent there with his brothers and in retreat helped him to reinforce his faith and to maintain a sense of peace with changes in his life. More than any of these interests and accomplishments, though, Bob loved his family. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. While juggling the pressures of his career, he took time each night to read to his children while they were growing up and also shared many special projects and activities. As the grandchildren arrived and grew, he similarly built and cherished a special connection with each of them. He wrote and called regularly, sent thoughtful gifts, found special projects to share, and sought to spend time with each person individually during family get-togethers. He and Caroline traveled regularly across the country and to Europe to visit their children and grandchildren. Bob and Carolines homes in Maine and Florida hosted many boisterous family get-togethers over the past decades, gatherings that reinforced family bonds and created many happy memories. His long devotion to his family created his most memorable and lasting legacy a close-knit, loving and thriving extended family that misses him greatly. A memorial service will be held at St. Josephs Abbey in May. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either St. Josephs Abbey (167 N Spencer Rd, Spencer, MA 01562) or to National Braille Press (88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115)