Eugene J. O'Brien

Cousin Gene was special and affectecd me in ways he never knew. Being the youngest of the Kennefick/Downey cousins, cousin Gene would come to visit my parents and his uncle/aunt John/Susanna Kennefick. Those were special visits. As a child, I would get to sit on his lap. He would bring Barbara (first wife) whom he was dating at the time. She passed "inspection" for her sweet and gentle nature and for being Lithuanian as was my mother. Two Lithuanians among all those Irish! On my fourth...

My favorite reason for it to be Wednesday at the library was Mr. O'Brien. He came in with his cheerful greeting and went on to find his favorite war videos and then he came back and chatted with me for about an hour. I learned about his experiences in WW2, and of his favorite experiences while travelling to Hawaii. He even had me write down some specifics in case I ever had the opportunity to visit.
On his last trip to the library, I suggested he talk with another staff member about...

Mr. O'Brien was a regular patron of the Cook Memorial Library. He loved to talk about his veteran status and was impressed when I told him I too am a veteran! Every time he came in for movies, he greeted me with a strong, cheery "Hello, young lady!" We added many classic war movies to our collection based on his suggestions. He was in on Wed., 11/7, tall and confident as always and with his usual greeting. I had no idea he might be ailing. I will really miss him.