Cecelia Grace (Reed) O’Brien, 85, one of five children born in Worcester to Homer and Rose (Carney) Reed, passed away peacefully in her Worcester home on Sunday, March 8 surrounded by her loving family. Cecelia was a dedicated family woman who strived to see that all people were treated with respect and fairness. She believed in social justice her entire life. She was devoted to her children, their spouses, her grandchildren and great grandchildren, her siblings and their families especially her nieces and nephews, close friends and relatives. Cecelia worked as a registered nurse for many years doing private duty, hospital, and nursing home care.
Cecelia leaves her six children and their spouses: William O’Brien and his wife Maryellen (Garvey) O’Brien of Worcester, Michael O’Brien of Guilford, CT, Patricia (O’Brien) McNamara and her husband Barry McNamara of Worcester, Stephen O’Brien and his wife Carol (Keenan) O’Brien of Holden, Kathleen O’Brien of Winthrop, and Maryellen (O’Brien) Halloran and her husband Kevin Halloran of Worcester with whom she lived for many years. Cecelia also leaves 12 grandchildren: Dan, Bob, Barry, Terri, Jay, Gavin, Jamie, Matt, Jack, Lil, Shayla, and Jeremy. She leaves six great grandchildren: Joey, Sophia, Danny, Ava, Charlotte, and Kali. Cecelia was predeceased by her brothers Robert Reed and Francis Reed; her sisters, Rosemary Ricciuti and Doris White and her ex-husband William O’Brien who died in 1991.
She was a lifelong resident of Worcester and graduated from St. Peter’s High School and Worcester City Hospital School of Nursing. Cecelia had a zest for life and good times yet was a tireless worker and meticulous homemaker who raised six children all while advancing her nursing career. Her skills allowed her to serve for many years as the Director of Nursing at Thornton Nursing Home, an 80-bed acute facility in Northborough. She traveled extensively internationally: to Africa where she partially climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, to France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Canada, and Ireland. She enjoyed seeing new places but more importantly spending time with her family and friends, especially her long-time friend Ann Doyle.
By far, the most important part of her life was family and friends. Spending time with them at the family lake house in Spencer or hosting extended family gatherings at her house made her the happiest. She cherished the holiday get-togethers when everyone surrounded her, and the countless laughs she shared with everyone. She also enjoyed summer vacations at Hampton Beach and Cape Cod. Cecelia was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Her funeral is Thursday, March 12th from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a Mass at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Church, 929 Main Street. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to remember and honor Cecelia at her visiting hours on Wednesday, March 11th from 4:00 until 7:00 PM in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Fund at www.jdrf.org, or honoring Cecelia’s memory with a charitable deed which would have certainly brought a smile to her face.