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Obituary: Harold F. O’Brien, Jr., 93, West Lowville
Published: August 07, 2026
By: Provided by
Sundquist Funeral Home
Harold F. O’Brien, Jr. of West Lowville
 Harold F. O’Brien Jr., 93, passed away
peacefully at the home of his son, John and daughter-in-law, Sue, on August 6, 2026
surrounded and cared for by his loving family and Hospice. During his final
days, Harold was blessed by visits from dear friends and caring neighbors,
whose presence brought him great comfort and happiness.
Harold was born
on August 17, 1932,
at the Lewis County Hospital
in Lowville. He was the son of the late Harold and Susanna (McCarthy)
O’Brien. He married Jean Monks,
daughter of the late Eugene
and Violet (Larkin) Monks, Lyons
Falls on January 19, 1957
at St. John’s
Catholic Church in Lyons
Falls with Fr. Isele
officiating.
He graduated from
Lowville Academy in 1950 and served in the
United States Navy from 1952 to 1954. He first enlisted in the Naval
Reserves before being drafted into active service. During his time in the
Navy, his ship docked at several ports throughout the Caribbean,
including Havana, Cuba, the Panama
Canal, Haiti,
and Jamaica.
His military service was cut short and he was
honorably discharged in order to return home to
help on the family farm after his father was injured.
Harold and Jean
purchased the family dairy farm on Route 12 in Lowville from his father in
1965. They owned and operated the farm for 27 years, retiring in 1992.
After retirement, Harold remained connected to farming by spending several
years working with his sons and helping them on their farms.
Harold was a man
of deep faith and a devoted member of St. Peter's Catholic Church. He loved
to read westerns by Louis L’Amour, but most of his books were related to
his faith. His favorite books and his bible were never far from him. He
prayed often throughout the day, keeping his family and friends in his
prayers. Whenever something in our
lives called for extra prayers, we all knew he was the person to turn to. He
was also known for his sense of humor, kindness, friendliness and
generosity towards others.
In his 70’s,
Harold began creating amazing woodworks using barn wood. One of his first
creations was a replica of the shack from the Christian fiction book The
Shack. He started by using barnwood and moved onto other types of
wood. He created vintage cars,
trucks, wagons, animals, people and much more. His newly found talent,
attention to detail and creativity made us always wonder what his next
creation would be.
During their
retirement, Harold and Jean enjoyed traveling to visit family. They rode
horses in the hills of an Arizona
ranch, four wheelers in South
Carolina and took their first cruise with a
cousin and her husband. With their
faith being a large part of their lives, they took bus trips to religious
sites to see various churches, basilicas, shrines, and oratories. Twice they traveled to Alabama to see Mother Angelica. It was
especially important to them to participate in the March for Life in Washington D.C. Throughout their lives they were
caregivers for elderly family members, which included both
of their parents, aunts and others in the community. They often
visited residents at the nursing home in Lowville. These visits meant as much to them as they
did to the residents.
Harold’s happiest
times were spent on the farm. After Jean’s passing, he returned home to the
farm, where he found comfort being surrounded by the familiar sights and
sounds of farm life. He especially loved hearing about the daily activities
on both Steve’s and John’s farms. As
well as being surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
Harold is survived by his five children: Martin O’Brien,
Lowville; Patricia (Dennis) Nortz, Webster; John (Sue) O’Brien, Lowville;
Stephen (Jo-Anne) O’Brien, Lowville; and Allan (Kim) O’Brien, Watertown; as well as
his former daughters-in-law Jill Stalberger, Minnesota and Holly O’Brien, Calcium. He
was the beloved grandfather to fifteen grandchildren: Jennifer Wilkerson,
Shana O’Brien, Amie (Nate) Stafford,
Nicole (Jim) Sees, Emily (Sam) Sarratori, Brett (Vanessa) Nortz, Kevin
(Laura) O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, Lee (Jaclyn) O’Brien, Clayton (Justine)
O’Brien, Laura (Zach) Shambo, Patrick O’Brien, Peter O’Brien, and Erin
(Thomas) Olver. He is also survived
by 26 great grandchildren and three great great
grandchildren. He loved being
surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He is also
survived by his sister Mary Dubach, sisters and brothers-in-law Mary
O’Brien, Jannette O’Brien, Edwin Rounds, Joyce Mealus, Gail Wakefield,
Susan (Mahlon) Martin, and Eugene (Pamela) Monks, as well as many nieces
and nephews.
Harold is
predeceased by his wife Jean, his twin sons Paul and Kenneth, his
grandchildren Barbara O’Brien and Kyle O’Brien, and two great grandchildren
Lucia Sarratori and Amelia Sarratori. Daughter in law Jeanette, His
siblings: Charles and Edward. Sister-in-law and brothers-in-law: Carol
Rounds, James Mealus, Joseph Wakefield, and Thomas Dubach.
Calling hours
will be held at the Sundquist Funeral Home on Monday, August 10th,
from 5 to 7:00 p.m.
A funeral Mass
will be said on Tuesday, August 11th at 10:00 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Lowville,
with Rev. Sony G. Pulickal, Pastor officiating. Burial
will immediately follow in the Lowville
Rural Cemetery.
Family and friends are invited to a luncheon at Lewis County Marine Corps
League, any food donations or covered dish to pass
may be left off after 9:00 A.M.
on Tuesday morning at Farney Hall.
Contributions may
be made to: St. Peter's Memorial Fund, 5439 Shady Avenue, Lowville,
NY 13367
or Lowville FFA c/o Mel Phelps
Lowville Academy 7668 N. State Street, Lowville, NY 13367.
Online
condolences may be shared at www.sundquistfh.com
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