CATHERINE O'BRIEN-HASKELL

1943 - 2018

O'BRIEN-HASKELL, Catherine Age 75, of Jamaica Plain, formerly of Arlington, Massachusetts, died December 11, 2018, at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was one of ten siblings born to the late Joseph O'Brien and Eleanor (Whelton) O'Brien of Arlington, MA. She graduated from Matignon High School in Cambridge, received her nursing degree at Mt. Auburn School of Nursing in 1963, and served in the Peace Corps in Malaysia from 1967-1969. After returning from the Peace Corps, she received her BS in Nursing from University of New Hampshire and worked as a Registered Nurse at numerous medical centers including Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Lawrence General Hospital, the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston, and Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. Throughout her life, Cathy was a champion of the poor and the underdog, believing in service for others and volunteering for a variety of causes, including the Special Olympics, Salvation Army, Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Ethical Society of Boston. A proud lifelong Democrat, she also volunteered with the Arlington Democratic Town Committee. Cathy was a generous, loving, talkative and independent woman, always ready with a joke or a story. She valued diversity and had an insatiable curiosity about others; she loved art, music, and travel. Despite her recent declining health, Cathy remained optimistic and positive, always thankful for the great care she received from countless doctors, nurses, and other medical caregivers. Cathy is survived by her loving sons Matthew Haskell of Los Angeles, CA, and Jonathan Haskell and his wife Carrie Knudson of Jamaica Plain, MA; her former husband Christopher Haskell; and siblings Mary Ellen Powers, Patricia McCarron, Frani Lane, Betty Ann Oakes, Joseph O'Brien, John O'Brien, and Leo O'Brien and their loving families. In addition, she leaves behind many close friends with whom she cherished spending quality time. She is preceded in death by her brothers Edward O'Brien and Richard O'Brien. A Celebration of Cathy's Life will occur on Sunday, December 16, 2018, 2 - 4 pm, at First Church JP, 6 Eliot Street in Jamaica Plain. Relatives and friends are invited to attend and share their memories and stories. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in her memory may be sent to Special Olympics Massachusetts, 512 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752. www.specialolympicsma.org

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