Ronald J. OBrien

Ronald J. Obie OBrien, of Braintree, formerly of So. Boston, passed away after a lengthy illness November 17, 2017 at the age of 88. Beloved husband of the late Frances Fran (McDonald) OBrien. Loving father of Mary Ferrazzi and her husband William of Abington, Christine Bates and her husband Ronald of Whitman, Colleen OBrien of Kingston, James OBrien, Chief, Braintree Fire Dept., and his wife Cheryl of Braintree, Timothy OBrien and his wife Sherri of Braintree, Erin MacDonald and her husband Christopher of Bridgewater and the late Anne and Helen OBrien. He was the last survivor of 11 brothers and sisters and is survived by 20 grandchildren 5 great-grandchildren and his dear friend Patricia Welch. Obie was born in So. Boston where he grew up and lived before moving to Braintree in 1970. He joined the US Navy after high school where he served for 1 year at the end of WWII. He felt guilty for not having served long enough so after being discharged from the Navy he immediately joined the US Coast Guard where he served for 4 years. He was an active member of Teamsters Local #25 prior to becoming firefighter for the City of Boston. Obie was assigned to many station throughout the city, most notably Ladder 19 in Southie, where he spent the last 15 years of his career. He aslo spent 2 years on the arson squad. He retired as a Lt. after 34 years of service. He was a member of the Braintree K. of C., Braintree American Legion Post, the McKeon Post, Dorchester, and Fire Fighters Local #718, Boston. He was the former owner of Whitney Tavern, So. Boston. He was an enthusiastic New England Sports fan and golfer. His greatest joy however came from spending time with family and friends especially the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by all who knew him. Reposing at the Cartwright-Venuti Funeral Home, 845 Washington St., Braintree, MA 02184 until 11:30 a.m. Wednesday followed by a funeral Mass at 12:30 p.m. in St. Francis of Assisi Church, So. Braintree Sq. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. Burial will take place in Braintree Plain Cemetery, Braintree, MA. For directions or to leave a sympathy message visit our website at www.cartwrightfuneral.com.