William Bill Forrester O'Brien Sr.

William Bill Forrester O'Brien Sr. February 28, 1924 - March 18, 2014 William Bill Forrester O'Brien Sr. died March 18, 2014, at age 90, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Services will include visitation at 9:30 a.m. and funeral services at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 22, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel, 6101 Bosque Blvd. in Waco, Texas. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery, immediately following the chapel service. A reception will be held at Ridgewood Country Club, 7302 Fish Pond, in Waco, immediately following the burial. Funeral arrangements were performed by Sawyer-George Funeral Home of Corpus Christi, Texas. Bill was born in Waco, Texas, to John Leahy O'Brien and Esse Forrester O'Brien. He was a graduate of Waco High School. He received a B.S. and M.A. Degree in Chemistry from Baylor University in Waco, and a PhD in Organic Chemistry, Mathematics, and Inorganic Chemistry from Harvard University and the University of Texas in Austin. Bill worked for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York, when he was 19 years old. He then joined the Navy and was stationed at Camp Peary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the Naval Research Lab at Anacostia Station. He worked on the development of the atomic bomb at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he was one of 19 research chemists. He received the Victory Ribbon and the American Area Campaign Ribbon medal for his Navy service and a letter of appreciation from Secretary of War, Robert Patterson, for his service at Oak Ridge. After the war, Bill joined his father selling and manufacturing men's and boy's clothing. Together, they owned O'Brien Manufacturing Company in Temple, Texas. They eventually sold the company to Genesco, and in 1978, Bill and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, and formed Shamrock Oilfield Services and Shamrock Mud. After some time in the oilfield, they retired and moved to Cloudcroft, New Mexico, in 1989. Retirement was short lived and Bill soon got his real estate broker's license. He became the broker for his own real estate agency, Emerald Forest Real Estate, Inc. In 2010, they sold the real estate business and moved back to Corpus Christi due to Bill's declining health. Bill ranched with his grandfather, father and sons most of his life in Valley Mills, Texas, and Tatum, New Mexico, and with his son, David, and grandsons, James and Jody, in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. His favorite breed of cattle was Hereford, and he owned and rode Quarter horses his entire life. He especially loved cutting horses. His last horse ride was at the age of 87 on his son's ranch in Winters, Texas. Bill also loved to read and write poetry. Three of his poems are listed on the amateur poetry site, Poetry.com, in their historical database. Bill was preceded in death by his grandparents, Judge William H. Forrester and Sarah Esse Clay Forrester; parents, John Leahy O'Brien and Esse Forrester O'Brien; first wife, Jean O'Brien Mosley; and daughter, Jean Cawood O'Brien. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; five children, eight grandchildren, and three great grandsons. The members of his surviving family include children, Marjorie O'Brien McDonald and husband, Dick, of New Braunfels, Texas, David Ondrasek O'Brien of Midland, Texas, William Forrester O'Brien Jr. and wife, Lee, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Paul Ondrasek O'Brien and wife, Sarah, of Corpus Christi, and Esse O'Brien Moreno and husband, Gilbert, of San Antonio. Surviving grandchildren include Reagan McDonald of Port Charlotte, Florida, Richard McDonald and wife, Keri, of Sherman Oaks, California, James O'Brien of Midland, Jody O'Brien and wife, Jordan, of Midland, Shelby O'Brien and Kaley O'Brien of Corpus Christi, Shane O'Brien and wife, Cindy of Frisco, Texas and Chad Avery and wife, Nikki of Ft. Worth, Texas. Surviving great grandsons include Pierce and Sterling O'Brien of Frisco, and Hudson Avery of Ft. Worth. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WHBfamily.com.