Eugene Leo O'Brien III

Eugene Leo O'Brien III, 83, a longtime Libertyville resident, passed away peacefully on November 7, 2025, with the love of his life, Norene, by his side. Gene was the oldest of six children proudly raised on Innisfail Farm on McConnell Road in Woodstock by his loving parents, Eugene Leo, Jr and Mae Sexton O'Brien. Besides the many decorations on his high school letterman jacket, Gene was also a Grand Champion of the McHenry County 4H Club. It was in McHenry County where his Dad taught he and his brother to hunt pheasants; a cherished sport that the three shared. Gene attended St. Mary's grade school, was a proud member of the first graduating class from Marian Central Catholic High School and progressed on to graduate from Loras College. After college, he attended training for the Air Force National Guard and served until 1974. He began his lifelong career in the insurance industry; amongst his many accomplishments he was most proud to be known by his clients as a trusted risk and compliance advisor that they could constantly depend upon. In his early twenties, he met Mary Norene Joyce and there began a lifelong adoration. Gene and Norene married in 1968 and settled in Libertyville in 1976. Gene never stopped living by his motto of "enthusiasm, persistence and commitment" in order to achieve his ultimate goal of providing the best to his family.
Gene was a man of deep Catholic faith. He was a devoted and active parishioner at St. Joseph Church where he served as a 4th Degree Knight in Knights of Columbus. He had no problem giving of his time to St. Joe's. Amongst his favorite activities were the Mass in the Park, the building of the crèche, Christmas tree sales, and the construction and execution of the outdoor Covid mass. All five of his children graduated from Carmel High School and Gene became an integral volunteer at Carmel High School Street Scenes serving until 2016. His dedication to his community was formally recognized with various awards including Libertyville Senior of the Year Award and St. Joseph Parish Man of the Year Award. Even though he was known for so much, no title carried more weight in his life than that of being Papa O'Brien to his thirteen grandchildren. His grandchildren were the light of his life, and he cherished every moment he spent with them. Gene was devoted to his career, his community, his faith, and most importantly, his family. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He was a kind hearted man who would look you in the eye, give you a smile along with a strong handshake. No words can express how much he will be missed by so many.
Gene is survived by his wife of 57 years Norene; his children Eugene IV (Cathleen) O'Brien, Margaret (John Jr.) Wrenn, Daniel (Maggie) O'Brien, Patrick (Amy) O'Brien, and Maura (Josh) Bubinas; his grandchildren Eugene V, Francis, John, Brendan, Declan, Norene, Maeve, Grace, Andrew, Sean, Ella, Leo and Joshua "Bubs"; his siblings Ellen (Tom) Elliott, Mary (Tom) Kennelly, Margaret (Jim) Byrne and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Eugene and Mae,his brother Tom (Sue) O'Brien, his sister-in-law Diane O'Brien, and sister Ann (Smokey) Stover.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday Nov 24th at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 121 E Maple Ave, Libertyville. Visitation will be held from 2:00 – 6:00 PM on Sunday Nov 23rd at McMurrough Funeral Chapel, 101 Park Pl, Libertyville. In lieu of flowers memorials made to the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org would be greatly appreciated. The family would like to make a special thank you to Gene's caring staff at Story Point memory care unit which provided him great comfort in his final days. Funeral information (847) 362-2626