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Ann Grace O'Brien

January 29, 1960 - October 23, 2023

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Obituary For Ann Grace O'Brien

Age 63, of Whitehall, passed away suddenly on Monday, October 23, 2023.

Beloved wife of the late John O'Brien, III; daughter of Charles Thompson and the late Mary Ann Thompson; daughter-in-law of the late Judge John O'Brien, Jr. and Ruth O'Brien; sister of Paul (Teddi) Thompson, David (Vicky) Thompson, Joan (Brett) Spencer, John Thompson and the late Bruce (survived by Connie) Thompson; sister-in-law of Colleen (Greg) Adams, Christy (Paul) Leslie, Patrice (the late Rex) Felton, Terry O'Brien, Julie (Steve) Happe, Jacqueline O'Brien and Robert (Erin) O'Brien. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and their families. Ann's family and friends were her world and she will be deeply missed by all who loved her. Friends will be received at the John F. Slater Funeral Home, Inc., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood 15227 on Thursday, November 2, 2023 from 4-8 p.m. where a Blessing Service will be held on Friday, November 3, 2023 in the funeral home Chapel at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, family suggests contributions to the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, wcspittsburgh.org.

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  • November 24, 2023

    Since I haven't lived full time in Pgh for several years now, my relationship   with Ann for most of each year was a long distance one, one that   consisted of many cherished phone conversations.  If I could have one   more conversation with her, this is probably how it would go.   Me:  Hi, Ann.  How are you doing today? Ann:  I'm good. Me:  Really?  I can't believe I talked to you twice on Sunday night and you ended up dying the next day. Ann: Yeah, I know.  I was surprised myself.  I wasn't ready but I guess it was time to go. Me:  Well, none of us were prepared.  You defied the odds so many times, you had us all convinced that you had more lives than your cat,  Zippy. Ann:  Yeah and maybe I could have rallied one more time but remember when I had that near death experience two summers ago when Johnny appeared to me in a dream.  We were walking through a craft fair and there was a little wooden boat that I wanted to buy, which I did, there was a barn there where they were cooking and selling barbecued ribs.   Johnny couldn't resist and went into the barn.  When he came out he told me he bought a thousand pounds of ribs.  I said, "Why would you buy so many ribs?  We will never eat them all."  He told me that it wasn't my time and that when it was, there would be some ribs left for me. I remember waking up and the smell of barbecued ribs was so real and it lingered. Me:  Yeah, I remember you telling me about that dream, how vivid it all was and that it was a sign. Ann:  Well, I had that dream again only this time Johnny grabbed my hand and took me all the way to where he was and we ate the last of the bbq 'D ribs together and now I am so happy that I am here with him. Me:  Wow, well, if that's where your are, that's all I could ever hope for.  My two favorite people united again.   Ann: So how is my funeral going? Me:  It's fabulous, just like you planned.  All of your family and friends are here or have been here to pay their respects and to mourn.  Of course, there are a lot of people here who didn't get to say goodbye the way they wanted, so there's a lot of crying and sadness because it's hitting us that we won't be able to really see you any more.  The service was beautiful and we are all getting ready to celebrate your amazing life.   I am just about to do a little eulogy for you so if you are ready I will do it now and you can let me know what you think.  I call it "She was the Best" Ann:  Okay.  I will.  Please tell everyone that I love them and will continue to love them from beyond.     She Was The Best   Ann was the best daughter.  She took great care of her dad as long as she was able to, was always checking up on him and helped him to stay in his home longer than he could have without her by handling his finances and tending to his care.  And at this point I would like to acknowledge that Ann's father is still alive living at the John Kane Hospital and we wish that he could be here today but because of concern for his wellbeing, he is not able to be here. I know as far as my parents were concerned, they thought the world of Ann.  They were so pleased that Johnny had met such a wonderful girl and that they had such a great marriage.  She was always good to them and they loved her.   Ann was the best sister to her sister Joan, and brothers Paul, Dave, Bruce and John. A couple summers ago, Ann generously took members of her family, a couple friends and me to the Doobie Brothers concert at Starlake.  We all had a great time.  I was thrilled to be included.  Looking back, that night is so special now because that was the last time she was able to do something like that.   Ann also has the best sister. You could say that she hit the lottery, which as some of you may know, she actually did, and that was super exciting,  but I'm referring to the human lottery.  If Ann was in peril, Joan would leave her husband, her job and her nine kids and hop on the next plane from Idaho to Pgh and stay as long as necessary until she felt Ann was out of the woods once more.  In the summer of 2022 she arrived in July and was not able to return home until some time in December.  She is an angel and I would like to thank her, her husband, Brett and the rest of her family for the sacrifices they made to keep Ann with us longer.   She was the best wife to my brother, Johnny, who adored her.  She made him happy and he was fiercely loyal and protective of her.  It was beautiful to see their dynamic in real life.  Since Johnny passed away, we would still talk about him all the time and we had a lot of laughs in that regard.  As long as Ann was alive, Johnny was still alive to me also.  It will be hard for me, personally, to deal with the fact that they are both gone now.   Ann was the Best Aunt. As I look out into the audience today,  I see so many of Ann's nieces and nephews who know what I am talking about.  She never missed any of your birthdays, you always got a card with money in it.  I don't know how she kept track of it.  I hope she had stock in Hallmark because she sent multiple cards out almost every week to keep up with so many of you.  She also never missed you at Christmas or graduation or any memorable occasion in your lives.  She was incredibly generous and kind.  For someone who was not able to have children of her own, she was not resentful of that fact but she chose to embrace all of you as her surrogate children.  I'm sure you will all miss having her in your lives.   Ann was also the best worker.  I remember her working tirelessly back in the Wicks N' Sticks days and she was great at what she did.  The patrons all knew her and the store was in good hands if Ann was there.  She was invaluable to Patti and my dad in that regard and she worked there for many years giving it her all.   She was the best Friend and she had great friends, Nancy, Carol, Diane, Val, just to name a few.  You girls were awesome.  Even though she couldn't do what you girls could, you continued to come to her house and have your Girls Night Out with her and you made it work, you also came to her house every year and planted the flowers in her yard because you knew that was important to her, and you were there for her whenever she needed anything.  You were and are great friends.  And also included are Johnny's friends who continued to stop by and visit Ann after Johnny was gone, particularly Mark, Larry and Eddie B and those visits meant so much to her.  Thank you.     Ann was also the best neighbor.  Her Halloween and Christmas displays in her yard were unrivaled.  She told me about a month ago she had purchased $150 worth of Halloween candy for all the trick or treaters who flocked to her house each year, and no little candy bars, but the big ones like we used to get as children. One year I even had Caitlin and Mike take Kai over to Ann's neighborhood so they could see her decorations and so she could see him in his Halloween costume and get some candy, of course.     Little known fact to maybe some of you, Ann was the best Fisherwoman. She was quite the angler.  Some people just have a knack for hooking a fish and Ann was one of them.  She loved the sport and landed many fish in her lifetime.  She landed the biggest fish we ever collectively caught up in Michigan, I can't even remember how big it is but at least a giant northern pike and she and Johnny had it mounted and it is hanging on the wall in the house up there.  That was her pride and joy, her trophy fish!   And finally, she was the best fighter.  She was a fighter both physically and mentally. If you ever wondered how strong the human spirit is all you had to do was observe Ann and her will to live.  She defied the odds for so long.  She suffered from multiple conditions starting with Barter's syndrome, then gastroparesis, a leaking mitral valve, congestive heart failure and more recently diagnosed with migraine headaches in her eyes brought on by stress and I never heard her complain not once, although I know she was in horrific pain at times from all of it. She was one of the strongest, bravest people on the planet.  And she also was a woman who had convictions and she stood up for what she wanted and believed in to the bitter end.  Even though we knew this day would come, we were lulled into believing she would rally once again and we were not prepared.  She was a major reason for me to come to Pgh each summer for a few months, I always felt like I needed to see her and spend time with her and when I would leave each fall, I would hug her and kiss her so hard because I always worried that it would be my last.  And this time it was.   She truly was the best and I will keep her alive in my world Always and Forever.

  • November 04, 2023

    We are connected in this life and beyond. I will be talking to you soon. Listen for me, my beloved friend and soul sister. Colleen

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