Patricia Ann O'Brien

September 26, 2019

Patricia Ann O’Brien (née Higgins), 74, of West Hartford, CT, and Narragansett, RI, passed away peacefully in the evening on September 26, 2019 in hospice care at St. Francis Hospital after an almost two year battle with cancer. Pat was born on March 29, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY to John J. Higgins and Mary (Healy) Higgins. She attended Catherine McAuley High School and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1967 with a degree in Elementary Education. Pat taught elementary school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY, Orange, CT, and Norfolk, VA. Pat leaves behind her beloved husband of almost 52 years, John J. O’Brien, M.D., and her beloved daughters, Jennifer Gillis (Matthew Gillis) of West Hartford, CT, Kieran O’Brien of Portland, OR, and Meghan O’Brien (Adam Cervin) of Medfield, MA. She also leaves her much-loved granddaughters, Katherine, Grace, and Rowan Gillis, to whom she will always be their Mimi. Pat also leaves her brother, John Higgins, and his wife, Barbara of Hopewell Junction, NY, her sisters-in-law, Betsy Courtenay and Nancy Walker, both of Naples, FL, as well as many loving nieces and nephews. Pat was an avid reader who also loved gardening and decorating. She enjoyed traveling with her husband and close friends, especially to Ireland where she had family. Pat also spent many happy summers in Narragansett, R.I. with her family. Pat gave her time and energy to many causes, most importantly to Catholic Charities, The St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary, and St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church. Pat will be remembered most for her warmth, compassion, and kindness towards everyone she met. Pat’s family would like to thank Dr. Jonathan Sporn and the staff at Smilow Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital, Dr. Yelena Janjigian and Dr. Richard O’Reilly at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the nurses and staff on the Oncology floor at St. Francis Hospital, and the entire hospice staff. Calling hours will be Tuesday, October 1st at from 5-8 p.m. at Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 2nd at 10:00 a.m. in St. Patrick-St Anthony Church, 285 Church St., Hartford. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Donations may be made in Pat’s memory to Smilow Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital, 114 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com