Published by Legacy Remembers on Aug. 19, 2025.
Bernard Anthony O'Brien of Cohasset, Mass., and for the past 14 years,
Chevy Chase, Md., died Aug. 19. He was 94. Bernie was a retired psychologist and college professor who always had a positive message for his family, students and clients. We will profoundly miss the twinkle in his light blue eyes, his upbeat spirit and the warmth of his kindness.
Bernie had a private psychology practice in the Cohasset area for four decades, was an associate professor at Boston College for more than 30 years and was longtime chair of the graduate program in counseling psychology. He co-wrote two books on lasting marriages, but his passion was teaching students and helping people.
He was a devoted husband to his wife of 64-plus years, Evelyn (Villa) O'Brien; an outgoing and encouraging father to daughters Catherine Strong (Tom) of Chevy Chase and Mary O'Brien (Tyrone Cannon) of Newtown Square, Pa.; and a revered "partner in crime" when it came to consuming dessert and teasing his grandchildren, Ian (Megan), Nick, Cayla, Ari and Kate. He shares a birthday with his first great-grandchild, Lydia. He jokingly predicted that would happen and he referred to her as "Bernadette."
Bernie was born in Boston on Aug. 9, 1931. He was raised by his working mom, grandmother and sister in an apartment in a hardscrabble neighborhood in Roxbury while his father, a streetcar operator, was bedridden. He started bagging and delivering groceries in the fourth grade to help put food on the family table and received scholarships to attend Catholic schools, where he enjoyed playing baseball and hockey. He enlisted in the Army as a medic during the Korean War and credits the GI Bill, along with many hours working as a head waiter on catering jobs, for having the money to graduate Boston College (1957) and Catholic University (M.A. clinical psychology, 1961; Ph.D. counseling psychology, 1964). At the time, B.C. was a blue-collar commuting college that allowed Bernie to pay tuition each month while living at home. A hard worker, he spent countless hours in the classroom and in private practice. He eventually moved with his family to the seaside town of Cohasset where he enjoyed a view of the ocean for 40 years.
Bernie was a lifelong champion of the power of a college education to lift people out of challenging economic circumstances. He took great pleasure in admitting students to the graduate program in clinical psychology with scholarships. In 2001, after his retirement, he received B.C.'s Martin Luther King Community Service Award.
Bernie was quick to remind family and friends that he loved them. He believed in placing intelligence in context by elevating grit, persistence and social skills in his formula for success. He encouraged positive thinking and confidence. Bernie's patience was legendary. He could sit on a bench for what seemed like an eternity, observing humankind. As his memory and his ability to walk started to falter, he became a jigsaw puzzle-solver extraordinaire, drawing on that patience to fill in the most difficult parts of the puzzle while letting family relish its completion by installing the final, easier pieces.
Evelyn grew up in California and her Italian family met her fiancé in person just days before the wedding. Bernie was warmly embraced, an act of faith he never forgot. After Bernie was married, he was finishing his Ph.D. dissertation and had only enough pocket money on his first anniversary to buy Evelyn a single rose. Once he could afford it, he made sure a dozen long-stemmed roses were delivered to the love of his life on every anniversary and birthday.
Bernie also is survived by his brother, Robert O'Brien (Arlene) and his brother-in-law Paul Villa (Barbara). He is preceded in death by his sister, Winifred Rome.
Bernie always gave back even after leaving the Boston area. In lieu of flowers, please continue to be kind to your loved ones and yourself. Bernie's desire had always been to help those around him be well and thrive.