Donald Kingery O'Brien

1924 - 2017

Donald Kingery O'Brien, age 92, of Piketon, Ohio, died on Jan. 11, 2017. He was born May 3, 1924, in Columbus, Ohio, to the late Margaret K. and Harry R. O'Brien. Preceded in death by his younger brother David H. O'Brien, Don is survived by his ex-wife Janet and their four children: Gary N. (Lynne) O'Brien of Columbus, Ohio; Daniel K. (Denise) O'Brien of Boulder, Colorado; Nancy O. (Ralph) Williamson of Piketon, Ohio; and Kathryn O. Vansant of Canal Winchester, Ohio. In addition, Don is survived by eight grandchildren, Todd (Shannon) O'Brien, Chris (Mindy) Williamson, Clay (Katelin) Williamson, Kelly (Braulio) Benitez, Corey (Cory) Williamson, Charlie (Stacey) Vansant, Katie (Tom) Dains, and Robbie Vansant, as well as nine great-grandchildren (and two more on the way!).
Don graduated from Thomas Worthington High School in 1942, where he began to develop his lifelong interest and talent for photography. He attended OSU before being drafted into the Army in 1943. He served our country in World War II as a member of the US Army 198th Signal Photo Corps, and was stationed in South Korea after the war ended until 1946.
He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1948 and began his career as a freelance photojournalist. On a photographic assignment he met pianist Janet Burnstedt, and they were married November 11, 1951. His photos and articles appeared in numerous issues of "Farm Journal," "Successful Farming," and other publications throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s.
After living in the Columbus/Westerville area most of his adult life, Don moved in 2000 to Piketon to be close to daughter Nancy and her family. It was during this time that he began posting photographs and other images to Flickr.com - old photos and magazine ads from his own archives as well as his new photos of southern Ohio sights (historic buildings, classic car shows, etc). He recently passed 18.5 million views of his images on Flickr.
Don was an avid runner, hiker and fitness enthusiast, and particularly enjoyed working out at the Pike County YMCA. Memorial contributions may be made to the Pike County YMCA, 400 Pride Drive, Waverly, Ohio 45690. No public memorial event is planned.