Thomas "Tom" C. OBrien Obituary (1934 - 2014)

Thomas "Tom" C. OBrien, 79, of Bloomington, formerly of LeRoy, died at 10:35 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2014, at Martin Health Center, Bloomington.Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday (5-8-2014) at St. Patrick Church of Merna, Bloomington. Monsignor Gerald T. Ward will officiate. Interment will be at St. Patrick Cemetery, Wapella following services. A prayer service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, and the visitation will begin immediately after the prayer service until 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Community Cancer Center, Normal or St. Patrick Church of Merna, Bloomington or St. Marys Church, Downs. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.He was born June 15, 1934, in Bloomington, son of Everett and Edith Schausten OBrien. He married Marie Toohill on August 20, 1966, in Wapella.Surviving are his wife, Marie, of Bloomington; his children, Richard OBrien, Mary (Mark) Mikel and David (Jennifer) OBrien and James OBrien; and 11 grandchildren, Laura Armstrong, Shawn and Erin OBrien, Zachary, Ethan, Zoe and Mia Mikel, and Kathryn, Margaret, John and Julia OBrien. Also surviving are his sister, Jeannie OBrien and his aunt, Marion OBrien Stoops.He was preceded in death by his parents.Tom was a 1953 graduate of Holy Trinity High School, Bloomington.He served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957 in the First Infantry Division "The Big Red One," followed by four years in the Army Reserve.Tom farmed in McLean and DeWitt Counties for 46 years, and continued to help his sons farm after retirement.He was a member of St. Marys Catholic Church in Downs for more than 40 years and most recently became a member of St. Patrick Church of Merna, Bloomington.He and Marie purchased a cabin on Canyon Lake in 1998 and enjoyed many summers in Northwest Ontario not only hosting family and friends from the states, but forming close friendships with their Canadian neighbors. In addition to cultivating corn and soybeans, Tom grew hundreds of bushels of popcorn over the years. He spent hours picking, shelling and sorting the kernels by hand and shared the fruits of his labor with every popcorn lover he knew.Tom enjoyed spending his time with his grandchildren and was affectionately known as "Tops."rnrnHe also leaves behind his faithful furry companion, Angus, a/k/a "Mr. Friendly."rnrnToms family would like to thank Dr. Stephen Kindred and Dr. Hwan Jeong in Bloomington, and Dr. Shaji Kumar at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and their staff for their compassionate support and care.