- Jul 10, 2005
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In memory of Shirley Bradley O'Brien, my mother, and the most wonderful person anyone could ever know. She went to be with Jesus earlier this year after a long battle with non-Hodgkins' lymphoma.
Mom, I miss you terribly. So do Eric and Dad. I know you're with God now and that we will see you again sooner than we realize.
A longtime friend of the family wrote this poem about my mother after her passing.
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Shirley O’Brien
God’s great banner Shirley unfurled
As a missionary to the world.
Christ’s love and grace were seeds she sowed
As she spread SONshine along life’s road.
We miss her more than words can say,
But Shirley hasn’t gone away:
Her caring heart and words of cheer
Will ever linger near and dear.
She touched our lives in countless ways
That will bless the rest of our days,
And when we leave this earthly shore,
She will greet us at Heaven’s door!
---Orville Scott
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, here is the email that my father sent out to our friends after her passing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Shirley O'Brien ended her battle against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, her eyes open wide as if viewing something wonderful. Our son, Paul, and her sister, Agnes, stood with me at her side when she died at 10:55 p.m., Wednesday, January 25. Shirley had been basically unresponsive
for several days and had not opened her eyes.
Her breaths became shorter and shorter in duration, but life was still in her wide open eyes as they gazed at something we couldn't see. Then her eyelids began to droop and life quietly slipped away, leaving a serene look on her face.
We and many others had prayed for Shirley's healing but also that if God took her home that she would go without suffering and have a beautiful experience. She has always placed herself totally in the hands of God, and this was no exception. She wanted to live but also said she was ready to go when God called.
Her life was a beautiful one of love for others and a commitment to God's call. We haven't shed all the tears that we have yet to shed, but the tears of sadness, while very real, will wash away in the tears of joy. We are joyful over the reality that she stands in the presence of her Savior and that her illness and pain are gone.
After more than 40 years of marriage, I can truthfully say that Shirley was the best person I have ever known and am still amazed that God brought her into my life.
All of your prayers, emails, cards, phone calls, and ministry outreach have blessed us greatly and meant much to Shirley in her closing days.
Her funeral will be at Midway Baptist Church on Route 60 in Amherst County, Virginia, next to the river where she was baptized and not far from the house where she was born. We hope also to hold a memorial service at our home church in Richmond, Virginia.
We will send details later about the time of the services and directions for those who wish to attend.
Blessings on you all.
Robert O'Brien
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I can visualize God saying "Well done, good and faithful servant" to her upon her arrival in His eternal Kingdom.
[bible]Matthew 25:21[/bible]
She never realized how much she contributed and how much she did for God here on earth. But the testimony we received from others underscored just how special she was (and still is).
After her services, many people (current friends and also people who we had not heard from in years) made a special effort to contact us and tell us how my mother always appealed to them and how she always made an extra effort to make them feel included and part of her family.
[bible]Psalm 119:105[/bible]
Her love, compassion and gentle spirit touched the lives of many people and made a lasting contribution toward God's eternal Kingdom.
[bible]2 Peter 1:11[/bible]
I am thankful for the time we had here on earth with her. Although she is temporarily gone from our sight, the blessing she was in my life will remain with me until I stand in God's presence myself.
Mom, I miss you terribly. So do Eric and Dad. I know you're with God now and that we will see you again sooner than we realize.
A longtime friend of the family wrote this poem about my mother after her passing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shirley O’Brien
God’s great banner Shirley unfurled
As a missionary to the world.
Christ’s love and grace were seeds she sowed
As she spread SONshine along life’s road.
We miss her more than words can say,
But Shirley hasn’t gone away:
Her caring heart and words of cheer
Will ever linger near and dear.
She touched our lives in countless ways
That will bless the rest of our days,
And when we leave this earthly shore,
She will greet us at Heaven’s door!
---Orville Scott
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, here is the email that my father sent out to our friends after her passing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Shirley O'Brien ended her battle against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, her eyes open wide as if viewing something wonderful. Our son, Paul, and her sister, Agnes, stood with me at her side when she died at 10:55 p.m., Wednesday, January 25. Shirley had been basically unresponsive
for several days and had not opened her eyes.
Her breaths became shorter and shorter in duration, but life was still in her wide open eyes as they gazed at something we couldn't see. Then her eyelids began to droop and life quietly slipped away, leaving a serene look on her face.
We and many others had prayed for Shirley's healing but also that if God took her home that she would go without suffering and have a beautiful experience. She has always placed herself totally in the hands of God, and this was no exception. She wanted to live but also said she was ready to go when God called.
Her life was a beautiful one of love for others and a commitment to God's call. We haven't shed all the tears that we have yet to shed, but the tears of sadness, while very real, will wash away in the tears of joy. We are joyful over the reality that she stands in the presence of her Savior and that her illness and pain are gone.
After more than 40 years of marriage, I can truthfully say that Shirley was the best person I have ever known and am still amazed that God brought her into my life.
All of your prayers, emails, cards, phone calls, and ministry outreach have blessed us greatly and meant much to Shirley in her closing days.
Her funeral will be at Midway Baptist Church on Route 60 in Amherst County, Virginia, next to the river where she was baptized and not far from the house where she was born. We hope also to hold a memorial service at our home church in Richmond, Virginia.
We will send details later about the time of the services and directions for those who wish to attend.
Blessings on you all.
Robert O'Brien
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can visualize God saying "Well done, good and faithful servant" to her upon her arrival in His eternal Kingdom.
[bible]Matthew 25:21[/bible]
She never realized how much she contributed and how much she did for God here on earth. But the testimony we received from others underscored just how special she was (and still is).
After her services, many people (current friends and also people who we had not heard from in years) made a special effort to contact us and tell us how my mother always appealed to them and how she always made an extra effort to make them feel included and part of her family.
[bible]Psalm 119:105[/bible]
Her love, compassion and gentle spirit touched the lives of many people and made a lasting contribution toward God's eternal Kingdom.
[bible]2 Peter 1:11[/bible]
I am thankful for the time we had here on earth with her. Although she is temporarily gone from our sight, the blessing she was in my life will remain with me until I stand in God's presence myself.
