Mary Jean O'Brien

Mary Jean O’Brien, 91, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at New York – Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital. Her profound faith and contemplative nature made her ready to pass from this world to her heavenly reward.

Born in Bay Ridge, New York, to Joseph and Mary O’Brien, Mary Jean dedicated her life to serving the poor. She graduated from Fontbonne Hall Academy High School in Brooklyn, NY, in 1951 and went on to earn her RN from St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1954. While working at St. Vincent’s Hospital, she pursued and earned her BS in Nursing from St. John’s University, Brooklyn, attending night classes.

At the age of 26, after several years as a nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital in lower Manhattan, Mary Jean followed her calling to religious life. She entered the Maryknoll Sisters order of the Catholic Church and spent 2½ years as a Novitiate at the Maryknoll Convent in St. Louis before returning to Maryknoll, NY. She continued her education at Columbia University, earning a Master’s in Higher Education in 1966 before departing for missionary work in the Philippines, where she served until 1976. During her 10 years there, Mary Jean spent her early days journeying deep into the Philippine jungles to provide medical care to native communities. Later, she became a faculty member, teaching nursing students, and eventually served as the Hospital Administrator for a 210-bed facility.

After participating in protests against the dangerous and often fatal working conditions of coal miners, particularly during the rainy season, her Visa was revoked by the Marcos government, and she returned to New York.

Back in New York, Mary Jean worked as a Public Relations Representative and Fundraiser for the Maryknoll Sisters. She then found her true passion and calling, serving men and women in Single Room Occupancies (SROs) on the Lower West Side of Manhattan through St. Vincent’s Community Medicine program.

In 1979, Mary Jean left the Maryknoll order but remained a devoted Catholic, deeply committed to prayer and meditation. She continued to serve with St. Vincent’s Community Medicine program and cared for her aging parents. She also worked in a men’s shelter on Wards Island, where she helped Vietnam veterans reintegrate into society and at the Manhattan Bowery Project, a detox and rehabilitation facility that served many homeless alcoholics. Over the years, she advanced to AVP and Clinical Director of the Department of Nursing at St. Vincent’s, overseeing a division with a bed capacity of 216. In 1991, she returned to community medicine as Head Nurse at the Charles H Gay Homeless Shelter, caring for some of New York’s most marginalized citizens. After retiring in 1996, she continued to serve at the shelter on a per diem basis.

Mary Jean moved from the Upper Westside of Manhattan to Issabella Independent Living in Washington Heights in late 2014 where she had a small apartment that she loved and where she made many friends. In November 2023 she suffered a severe stroke rendering her left side incapacitated. She was able to stay in her apartment with 24/7 care until her death.

Mary Jean cherished, and was cherished by, her brother Bill’s family. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Sheila O’Brien, and her beloved nieces and nephews: Cathy Douglas and husband Larry, Bill O’Brien and wife Karyn, Scott O’Brien and wife Linda, Elizabeth O’Brien and

husband Jacob Brown, and Carolyn Foley and husband Jamie, along with her 12 great-nieces and nephews and many great-grandnephews and great-grandnieces. She is predeceased by her parents, Joe and Mary O’Brien; her aunt, Margaret Scott; and her brothers Bill and Bob O’Brien.

Mary Jean’s life of service was beautifully captured in a 1981 article in The Other Side, chronicling a day in her life serving the poor in the shelters. One excerpt reads, “Mary Jean has seen poverty both in New York and the Philippines – intense poverty. ‘But the real poverty,’ she says, ‘is the poverty of a person’s spirit. The real poverty comes when we lose our sense of dignity and self-worth, when we can’t provide for ourselves or our family, when we can’t do something meaningful. That kind of poverty has no nationality or race.’” This was the essence of who Mary Jean was — someone who loved to serve, with a sharp wit and perfectly timed one-liners.

While the preceding reflections may cause one to think of Mary Jean as a serious and pious person, those who knew her will remember her as the life of the party. She loved nothing more than gathering with friends and family to celebrate life’s beauty and joy. She was smart, witty, fun, and considerate. At family reunions hosted by her brother Bill and sister-in-law Sheila, the 70+ attendees made it a point to spend time with Mary Jean for a good laugh and a bit of wisdom. She will be dearly missed by many.

Mary Jean’s Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus and St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, located at 207 W 96th St, New York, NY, on Wednesday, April 30th, at 10:00 AM, followed by a reception in the church’s Community Center.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Maryknoll Sisters at https://www.maryknollsisters.org/