Katherine May O’Brien
Katherine May O’Brien, beloved sister and aunt, tireless advocate for metastatic breast cancer patients, and brilliant writer, passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, June 19th. She is preceded in death by her parents James and Elaine, and is survived by her brothers Jim (Michelle), John (Shannon), Kevin (Sarah), Patrick (Maggie), and Peter, and her sister Ellen (Michael Cleary). She will be deeply missed by her 16 nieces and nephews and many friends, to whom she was affectionately known as “Doots.” Katherine traveled the world as editor-in-chief of American Printer Magazine. Once she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2009, she quickly became well-known for her writing, empathy, and wit as a patient advocate. Katherine sat on the board of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network and amused more than 4000 people on Twitter with her incisive musings.
The visitation is Monday, June 21st from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside. Chapel prayers 9:15am Tuesday, June 22nd at the funeral home followed by 10:00 AM Mass at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, LaGrange. Mass will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/SFXParish.LG/live/. Family and friends are invited to meet at 12:30 PM at the cemetery office of Ascension Catholic Cemetery, 1920 Buckley Rd., Libertyville for interment. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University for Metastatic Breast Cancer Research. Funeral Home Phone: 708-352-6500
Sincere Symathy to Ellen and all the family on the passing of Katherine.May she rest in peace.
Sincere sympathy to Ellen , Jim ,John, Kevin, Pat, Peter , their respective families and the extended O’Brien family on the death of Katherine. Our thoughts are with Ellen, Mike, Elaine ,Patrick and Mikey at this very sad time for all of you .May Katherine rest in peace.
Con, Úna , David, Brian, Eimear and Zara.
My daughter and I met Kathy on a cruise 4 yrs ago. About 25 women with MBC were on that cruise celebrating the fact that they were there!
Kathy was truly an inspiration to all for her advocacy and her resilience.
May her memory be for a blessing for all who knew her and May she Rest In Peace.
She was one of my good MBC friends. We went to several conventions together and talked a lot in the early years. A gifted writer and speaker. Love you.
Deepest condolences to Ellen and the extended O’Brien/Cleary family on the sad loss of your beloved sister and aunt, Katherine. May she rest in peace.
Katherine was a professional journalist with a well-crafted skill for interviewing, articulating, informing, understanding and always finding a slice of humor in any story. Although we worked on competitive print magazines, the journalist bond knows no boundaries. I reconnected with her during the past few years, and am in awe of her passion for sharing her personal trials and tribulations with metastatic breast cancer, and being such an advocate for other people fighting the battle. I can’t wait to find out how God will use her earthly talents moving forward. God Bless.
Sincere sympathy to the O’Brien family on the loss of Katherine. I worked as the publisher’s assistant for American Printer and KOB was our editor. Many wonderful memories. She was a real treasure to work with. May she Rest In Peace.
When we spoke recently, I had no idea how sick you’d become. Part of me is sad. The other part is rejoicing because you aren’t suffering any more. When I had the Heart Pump Surgery, you’d encouraged me to keep going.
Over the years, I’d met some of you at her events. It’s comforting to feel the love in the air. May the Lord continue to bless you all in Jesus Name. Amen.
Katherine…Rest in peace my dear. Thank you for your kindness and generosity to the cancer community.
Love Always,
Diondai Brown-Whitfield