James Joseph O’Brien, 70, of Largo, FL, passed away on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at the Largo Medical Center. He was born in Providence, RI, and moved to Largo in 2006 from Long Beach, CA.
He served his country in the US Army during the Vietnam War. Following his time in the service, he went to work with McDonnell Douglas Corporation (later acquired by The Boeing Company) as a Parts Expeditor. He retired from there after 27 years of service. His family considered him a hard worker that bordered on being a workaholic.
James was a family man and a caring father that loved his wife, children and grandchildren. He was able to see his first great-grandchild prior to his passing. He took great care of Kathy. James was a member of the American Legion Post # 119 in Largo.
The game of golf was a passion in his life and he also bowled with Kathy. His favorite holidays were Thanksgiving and Christmas when he was able to eat turkey. James was a pretty good cook with his specialties being eggplant parmigiana and spaghetti.
James loved the beach, the casino, and the New England Patriots. He was funny and stubborn and loved to have argumentative discussions. He was also a man that would do anything for anybody.
He was preceded in death by his parents William and Elizabeth O’Brien and his sisters, Jean, Kathleen and Delores. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Kathy; sons, Jimmy Jr. (Shannon) of Florida and Jody of Oceanside, CA; daughters, Kim Chupe (Kevin) of Alvin, TX, Kim Chevalier of Springhill, FL, Kelley Tomas (Bill) of St. Petersburg, FL and Debbie Courier (Chris) of Mays Landing, NJ; brothers, Harry of Cranston, RI and William (Sheila) of Largo, FL; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services with military honors are scheduled for 1:00PM on Thursday, November 17, 2016, at Florida National Cemetery. The cemetery is located at 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, FL 33513.
Very sorry auntie and all my cousins uncle Jimmy was a good man and he will be sadly missed but never forgotten rest in peace uncle.
Kathy and Family, so sorry for the loss of Uncle Jimmy. Thoughts and prayers to you all at this difficult time. We will hold dear in our hearts the visits with him and fun time at the pool. God Bless, and Rest In Peace Uncle Jimmy
To all the family I am so sorry Jim was a great brother in law. I have wonderful memories with my husband and Jim Kathy and all the children. You will be missed by everyone
Dear Kathy and family, So sorry to hear about Uncle Jimmy. I will miss seeing him on my yearly visits. He always made me laugh… Rest in peace but never forgotten.
Kathy, I wish I could be there with you today as you lay Jimmy to rest. We all have so many memories together. The picture from our cruise hangs in our livingroom and he is looking down on me right now. Jimmy loved going with us to the casino on our bowling trips.
He is at peace and not in pain. I am so glad we got to see him in April in Las Vegas. Jimmy is never going to be forgotten in our family. He nicknamed Louis the Professor. He was always there when we needed him but when he needed us we were there. He would call Don to fix the remote/tv when it was screwed up or needed help with something. He survived on Chocolate chip cookies on our trips. He will be missed but is in our memories and we are so glad we had our time to share with him.
We are here for you and if you need anything give us a call.
We love you,
Audrey and Don