Janet Ann O'Brien

July 24, 2018

Janet O’Brien of West Hartford died Tuesday, July 24, at St. Francis Hospital after a cardiac arrest. She was 87 years old. Born in Westchester County, N.Y., Janet Ann Larson was the only daughter of Richard A. and Ethel (Magee) Larson. During her childhood the family lived in the Pelham and Mount Vernon areas of the county and in upstate New York before moving to Fairfield, Conn. Living in Fairfield, up the street from the Long Island Sound beach she loved all her life, she graduated from the former Roger Ludlowe High School and from the University of Bridgeport’s school of dental hygiene. She met William O’Brien when he was a freshman at Fairfield University living off campus; his landlady, a friend of the Larson family, introduced them. Janet and Bill married in 1952 and lived in Fairfield until 1957, when they and their two children moved to West Hartford. In 12 years on Northbrook Drive and another 44 on Concord Street, the O’Brien family grew to include eight children, and Janet’s door was always open to dozens of their friends. Family excursions included summer weeks in Deering, N.H., and sightseeing in Washington, D.C. and Cooperstown. After her youngest child entered school, Janet returned to work as a dental hygienist and continued for more than two decades, typically at dentists’ offices close enough to home that she could walk to and from work in fair weather, before retiring in the late 1990s. She was a lifelong fan of major league baseball, especially the Red Sox. In the second half of her life she became an avid fan of the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams, and traveled with Bill to San Antonio to see the Lady Huskies win one of their early NCAA championships. With other couples that Janet and Bill met through parish activities, they attended Cursillo weekends and retreats for many years, experiences that extended and strengthened many friendships through their lifetimes. In 1993, Janet joined a small group of people from around and beyond Connecticut who founded a newspaper, The American Catholic, to advocate for a Church that heeded the voices of poor and marginalized people and of women. Her contributions were steady and varied: she wrote, edited, proofread, took meeting minutes, sold subscriptions and helped raise funds. Janet’s faith was also revealed in the friendship and hospitality she offered to an astonishing number and variety of people with whom she never discussed religion. Janet's husband died in 2015. She is survived by her beloved children Eileen O’Brien of Baltimore, Md.; William, Jr and wife Christiane O’Brien of Manchester; Patricia O’Brien of Dundee, Mich.; Richard and wife Lynne O’Brien of New Boston, N.H.; Timothy and wife Eva O’Brien of West Granby; Joan O’Brien of Conway, S.C.; Margaret O’Brien of Avon; Mary and husband Christopher Keller of West Hartford; sisters-in-law Lucille O’Brien of Pittsfield, Mass., and Mary O’Brien (David) Fritz of Lewes, Del.; grandchildren Daniel, Tyler, Charles, and Thomas O’Brien, Tim, Andrew, and Katherine Drummond, Cassella (Doug) Clark, Michael and Sarah Boggio, William, Matthew, and Emma Keller, step-grandchildren Erica Smith and Hilary Winiarski, great-grandchildren Timmy, Mckenzie, Conor, and Marion; and many, many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. Her half-brother, Charles “Rip” Larson of Maryland, predeceased her. Janet’s family expresses special thanks to Rosemarie Darlington, her home care nurse. Friends may call at Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, on Sunday, July 29, from 2 to 4 pm. A funeral Mass will be held at Saint Patrick Saint Anthony Catholic Church, 285 Church Street in Hartford, will be celebrated Monday, July 30 at 10 am. Interment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts in Janet’s memory and honor to Today's American Catholic, 270 Farmington Avenue, Suite 306-H, Farmington, CT 06032.