David O'Brien

OXFORD - David W. O'Brien, 68, of French River Circle, died with his wife and sister by his side on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at UMass Memorial Medical Center- University Campus, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Sheryl M. (Levine) O'Brien of Oxford; five children, Cheryl Hemmerch and her husband James of New Jersey, Chet O'Brien and his wife Kathleen of New Jersey, Debra Ferdella of Worcester, Lori Rodriguez and her husband Jose of Oxford, and Kerri Suprenant and her husband Arthur of Webster; four sisters, Helen Newstead of New Jersey, Maureen Modesty of Worcester, Eileen Rock of New Jersey, and Kathleen Steinhart of Worcester; 11 grandchildren, 1 great granddaughter, many nephews and nieces, and his close friends Danny Mac, Nurse Dan, and Nurse Nancy Noonan. He was predeceased by a brother, John O'Brien of Worcester who died in 2011. He was born in Worcester, the son of the late John and Helen (Smith) O'Brien, and lived in Worcester before moving to Oxford in 1982. He attended St. Stephen's High School in Worcester and was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Mr. O'Brien was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Worcester for 34 years, retiring in 2009. He loved nothing more than spending time with his grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and many other family members. The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Vijay Kasturi and his staff at the Oncology Clinic at UMass for their support and care that they provided to David in his challenge to fight lung cancer. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at St. John's Church, 44 Temple St., Worcester. Burial will be private at a later date. Memorial calling hours will be Friday, April 13, 2012, from 6-8 p.m. at Paradis Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.