Obituary of Brenda Lee Theresa O'Brien

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Brenda Lee O'Brien, 62, on December 10, 2024.

She is survived by her former partner, Stephen McLaughlin (Westville), their daughter Breanna McLaughlin (Calen) Edmonton; and son, Robbie McLaughlin (Ashley) Stellarton, and youngest son Noah Teed (Plymouth). Brenda is also survived by her four beloved grandchildren: Ryder, Greyson, Claire and Anna. Also surviving are sisters: Debbie Cormier (Walter), Mary Duggan (Jerry), and Bobbie Vint (Gil) all of Westville. Also surviving are sister Sandra O’Brien, Sydney, and brother Stephen O’Brien, St. John, NB, as well as 14 nieces and nephews.

Brenda was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Doris O'Brien, partner John Teed, and sisters Barbara O’Brien and Patsy DeYoung.

In earlier years, Brenda was very athletic and excelled in several sports, especially volleyball, and loved involvement in school activities. The Hockey Playoffs were a must for her and she got immense pleasure from the game. Brenda was very creative and made some beautiful crafts with calligraphy. She loved writing and was outstanding in this category. She loved music and was an excellent dancer. One of her favourite pass times was baking. She could spend days making different sweets- pies, breads, squares, cakes and cookies and loved every minute of it. As long as she had a cup of tea, she could do anything. Her many house plants were her ‘babies’ and she was dedicated to their care for years and years.

Brenda was a gentle soul with a huge heart and looked after the ‘underdog’ when she was young.  Brenda consistently dragged home baby birds, and strays. Later, she always had rescued pets and adored them. She cared about all animals- domestic or wild. She regularly took pleasure in feeding and watching the deer and raccoons. Feeding the birds was another hobby and she even made diaries of the various species she’d encountered.

Brenda was very proud of her three children and often gushed about their successes, promotions and education. Her daughter, Breanna, lived in Edmonton and always found the time to arrange to have her mom visit for a month. It was so exciting for Brenda to see her two grandsons. She talked about it incessantly and loved seeing and spending time with her grandkids. When she visited her son, Robbie, she just loved being with Claire and often spoke of how smart she was, and would boast with a smile about the beauty of both granddaughters. Brenda and Noah’s dad thought for sure they had the next NHL prodigy. Cheering Noah on gave her extreme pride and a smile from ear to ear.

Most would say that Brenda’s biggest attribute was her glorious sense of humour. She was intelligent, quick-witted, and loved to tell jokes. Her laugh was infectious. Friends from her past very seriously thought that she could have made it big by writing for Saturday Night Live or TV sitcoms. She was a wealth of information and loved to learn new things. One of her best friends said of her, “She was a brilliant and beautiful person. She made a huge difference in my young life.”

Brenda will be always be missed by her entire family. She will be sadly missed by her friends, all who knew and were touched by her and especially long -term friends, Robyn Carrigan, and Jimmy Linthorne.  

Brenda, “May Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest”

Visitation will take place on Thursday December 19, at 1:00pm until service time at 2:00pm at Eagles Funeral Home, Westville.