John Francis Joseph O'Brien III

5/20/1945 – 4/6/2015

Our father was a hobbyist in the truest sense of the word. He had a love of classic cars, model railroading, civil war reenactments, photography, and was a co-founder of the Santa Fe Drifters, a western stunt performance group that performed locally at different events. It became tradition on weekends to watch my father fall off buildings and out of windows, ambushed, and shot by some cowardly bad guy in black.

Our dad was born in San Antonio and developed a big Texan love of Spaghetti Westerns and old heroes, like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Because of that love and countless hours of sipping iced tea next to him watching those old classics, I am now well schooled in grit and manners.

Our dad’s greatest gift was his love of family, especially the little ones who came running into the house and straight into his arms. “Papa!” they would giggle. He will be greatly missed by his three beautiful granddaughters—Alyssa, Paula, and Jori, along with another grandchild that is on the way whom he was very excited to meet. He also cherished the memories of time spent with his own sisters and cousins. He proclaimed his children—Jennifer, Kelley, Wendy and myself to be his greatest accomplishments and was so proud of us. He was a true family man, and his thirty-five year marriage to our mom, Suzanne, is testament.

When my dad’s diabetes started to rob him of his mobility and sight, he compensated by opening his heart even more to those around him. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and saying goodbye to him after visits became harder and harder, especially with tears in his eyes.

We often reminisced of when he took us on fishing trips, to Angel games, and other like adventures in the California sun, but also of being our coach in little league. We spent entire days together in the backyard with an old cork ball, him teaching me the fine art of throwing a curve. He was not only a coach, but also a dad to the whole lot of kids on his teams over the years, and today, they remember him for that.

He often, filled with excitement, talked of his children’s accomplishments and what great futures lay ahead of them. When he accompanied his baby, Wendy, down the aisle at her wedding last October, the smile on his face that day spoke volumes. Although we gave him grief, in fun, when he took the pulpit, he held the room that night and moved me to tears with oneof his best speeches ever.

John F. O’Brien III may be gone from our sight today, but he lives within all of us, and in our daily toils; there are things that breathe life into memories of him. For me, as I step out into the world each day, he is there, his influence guiding me. Always.

--written by Ronnie Ruiz Valdez

under the direction of Desert View Funeral Home, VICTORVILLE, CA.