Richard O'Brien

Richard "Rick" O'Brien
November 22, 2024
Richard "Rick" O'Brien, 65, of Syracuse, passed away on Friday with his family at his side. He was born September 15, 1959, at St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, NY. Rick was a 1981 graduate of Siena College. He was employed by Excell Marketing as a Retail Account Merchandiser and retired from Pep Boys. For years he proudly served as a Boy Scout leader. Rick was passionate about running, bowling, camping, hiking, and fishing. He celebrated his 60th birthday by climbing Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Rick enjoyed spending time with his family; traveling with his wife, Nancy, watching the Bills and attending Syracuse and Yankees games with his son, Dan, and hacking golf balls in Florida and exploring the National Parks with his son, Tim. He and Nancy took several cruises and were planning to go to the Mediterranean in 2025. His favorite cruise was to Alaska in 2023. Rick was awestruck by Denali National Park and the Mendenhall Glacier. He absolutely LOVED his granddaughters taking pride in their accomplishments and smiles. Rick was predeceased by his parents, Richard and Ruth (Mathews) O'Brien, and his brother, Edwin (Sonny) King. He is survived by his loving wife, Nancy (Schwickrath) O'Brien; his two sons, Daniel O'Brien and Timothy (Adrianne) Burniski; his two sisters, Joyce (Alan) Amodeo and Ruth (Donald) Smith; his two sisters-in-law, Mary (David) Nortman, Helen Schwickrath (Till Freitag); his three granddaughters, Nikki and Madison O'Brien and Kaylee Burniski; his two nieces, Jessica (Brian) McDonald and Rebecca Castillo; his great-niece, Elaina Castillo; his former wife, Doris O'Brien, and his three cats, Jack, Daisy and Mera. Rick had wonderful cousins and friends, for whom he was eternally grateful. He was an organ donor and gave so that other families could have hope for a new future with their loved ones. The family would like to send a special thank you to the doctors, nurses, and every other staff member in the Wynn ICU for their kindness and respect during this difficult time. The Donate Life (Center for Donation & Transplant) Foundation was also gracious, explaining the process and keeping the family in the loop. The family is grateful to have been shown courtesy and love at all times. Rick, you will truly be missed. If you wish to honor Rick's life, please do something nice for someone today, smile, tell a stupid dad joke, buy a friend a cup of coffee, make a contribution to your local pet shelter, give a homeless pet a new home or consider becoming an organ donor. A Celebration of life will be held at a later date.