Gail Anne O'Brien

Springfield, Mass. - It is with deep sorrow, we share our beloved and remarkable Gail Anne O’Brien, 75, passed away peacefully at home on February 15, 2026.  Born and raised in Springfield, she was the daughter of the late Joseph M. and Kathleen T. (Reid) O’Brien. Gail was a 1968 graduate of Cathedral High School, a Providence Nursing School graduate in 1971, and later received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from Elms College.  She served as the supervisory nurse of the emergency department at Providence Hospital in Holyoke for the majority of her career, then later at Holyoke Hospital and worked for several years as a Holyoke Hospital Visiting Nurse.  Gail is survived by her beloved son Kevin O’Brien of Springfield, MA to whom she devoted each day of her life in helping him become the amazing man he is today. She is also survived by her loving brother Daniel F. O’Brien of Alexandria, VA, her nieces, Martha Queiroga of Wilbraham, MA, Molly O’Brien of Los Angeles, CA, and Kathleen O’Brien of New York, NY and nephews, Danny O’Brien of Alexandria, VA and Tim O’Brien of Brooklyn, NY, seven great grand-nieces and nephews and many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. Gail was also predeceased by her beloved brother, Joseph M. O’Brien of Springfield, MA, whom she cared for during his courageous battle with a serious illness. Her tireless life efforts always focused on the importance of fostering close bonds among her family and between her large network of friends. Gail had a fierce love of animals and loved caring for many special pets throughout the years. In lieu of flowers, we request donations be made in Gail’s name to causes deeply close to her heart, such as the Massachusetts Nurses Foundation Scholarships (causeiq.com/Massachusetts-nurses-foundation).  She strongly believed in the transformative power of caring for others as she devoted her life to it as well as to supporting others that do. Gail was a passionate supporter of the Special Olympics, inspired by her son Kevin, a longtime athlete. To honor her commitment to this cause, the family kindly requests donations to Special Olympics Massachusetts (specialolympicsma.org). According to her wishes, we will be celebrating her life as she lived it: with joy and laughter with Gail’s many friends and large extended family at a special memorial event to be held in late spring of this year. The O’Brien family has entrusted Corridan Funeral Home with handling the arrangements.