Marie F. O'Brien Obituary (1938 - 2020)

Marie F. O'Brien, 81, of Bloomington, formerly of LeRoy, died Saturday afternoon (June 13, 2020) at her home following a short illness. A private family funeral service will be held at St. Patrick's Church of Merna, Bloomington. A private burial will be at St. Patrick Cemetery, Wapella. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary's Church in Downs, St. Patrick's Church of Merna or OSF Hospice. Marie was born August 2, 1938, in Wapella, daughter of Patrick W. and Julia Marie Phelan Toohill. She married Thomas "Tom" O'Brien on Aug. 20, 1966, at St. Patrick Church in Wapella. He preceded her in death on May 4, 2014. Surviving are her children, Mary (Mark) Mikel, Bloomington; David (Jennifer) O'Brien, LeRoy; and James (Roxanne Summitt) O'Brien, Bloomington; 11 grandchildren, Laura (Matthew) Armstrong, Shawn (Emily) O'Brien and Erin O'Brien; Zachary, Ethan, Zoe and Mia Mikel; Kathryn, Margaret, John and Julia O'Brien; and one great-grandchild, Eleanor O'Brien. "Mickey" to her siblings, Marie is also survived by three sisters, Teresa Harpenau, Alice Keeley, Anna Gordon, and six brothers, Bill (Rita) Toohill, Ed (Francis) Toohill, Pat Toohill, Joe (Rosemary) Toohill, Frank (Becky) Toohill, and John (Janet) Toohill and many nieces and nephews. Her husband, parents and a son, Richard, preceded her in death. She graduated from Wapella High School in 1956. She worked at Illinois Agricultural Association (IAA) for several years. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Downs for more than 40 years and taught religious education. She became a member of St. Patrick's Church of Merna several years ago. She was also a member of the McLean County Association for Home and Community Education (HCE), formerly known as Homemakers Extension Association (HEA), for many years. Marie often described herself as an "old farm girl" who prided herself as a farmer's wife and being an essential part of the family farming operation. Although Marie didn't have the opportunity to attend college, she recognized the importance of higher education and strongly supported her children's education. She was immensely proud that each of her four children earned college degrees. After she and Tom retired from farming, they purchased a cabin on Canyon Lake in northwest Ontario and enjoyed many summers there. They frequently hosted and entertained family and friends and their guests were often treated to Marie's homemade wild blueberry pies. Marie enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and especially loved having them visit the cabin. "Mimi" not only created wonderful memories during their stay, but creatively captured special moments in scrapbooks through snapshots and handwritten stories. Although she had a life-long soft spot for barn cats and orphaned kittens, which she often nursed back to health, since Tom's passing "his dog" Angus has been her constant and beloved companion. Marie's family would like to thank all those who provided her compassionate care and support these past couple of months including Angus, who loyally stayed by her side as her health failed.