William K. O'Brien passed away on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at his home at the age of 60. Born in Newark, NJ, son of the late Joan C. (McKeon) and Richard T. O'Brien, Bill has been a long-time resident of Lower Bucks County.
In his early years, Bill was a Boy Scout and at the age of 13, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a 1978 graduate of Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ and a proud member of the 1977 Parochial A State Championship Football team. Bill then went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rutgers University.
Even though he grew up in South Jersey, Bill was an avid Washington Nationals fan. When his team won the World Series in 2019, he was ecstatic!
For 31 years, Bill absolutely loved teaching English at Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pennington, NJ. He enjoyed sharing his passion for reading, writing and history with his students. Bill’s colleagues were also some of his closest and most dear friends. He always expressed how proud he was to be part of the Hopewell Valley family.
Bill was proud of his Irish heritage and was a past president of the Sons and Daughters of Erin, Trenton, NJ. He considered Saint Patrick's Day to be one of the most important holidays of the year. Some of his happiest moments were spent with his family on vacations to Colonial Williamsburg, Walt Disney World and Ireland.
Beloved husband of 35 years to Kathleen (Mongan), Bill is the loving father of Sharon Pavlicin (Andrew) and Erin O'Brien; and the devoted grandfather of Faye Elizabeth Pavlicin. He is also survived by his dear mother-in-law, Marian Mongan.
He will be sadly missed by his sisters, Mary Frances Holly (Mark), Katherine Hoyt (Leo), and Jamie Swanson as well as his niece and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to call on Thursday, September 10, 2020, from 10:00 am until 11:30 am at the James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, Inc., 2200 Trenton Road, Levittown. Services and interment will be held privately.
Memorial contributions in Bill’s name may be made to Holy Cross Prep Academy, 5035 Route 130, Delran, NJ 08075 – www.hcprep.org/annualappeal .
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