James Henry O'Brien

VIEW VIDEO TRIBUTE St. Martinville - Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday July 25, 2008, at St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville for James Henry O'Brien, 88, who died at 6:40 p.m., Tuesday July 22, 2008, at Our of Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. Interment will be in St. Michael Cemetery in St. Martinville, Louisiana. Born January 23, 1920, in New Orleans, the grandson of Irish and German immigrants, Jim grew up in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and graduated from St. Stanislaus High School in 1938. While a student at Mississippi State University, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 31, 1941. He flew the A-26, a fighter bomber, as part of the 85th Bomb Squad, 47th Bomb Group, 7th U.S. Army, in the North African, Sicilian and Italian campaigns during WWII. He was awarded decorations and citations, including the Air Medal and four oak leaf clusters. After the war, Major O'Brien was called back to active duty to train pilots during the Korean War. Due to lung cancer, he retired from the USAF in 1959. Upon recovering from lung cancer, Jim was employed by U.S. Customs where he served as Port Director and U.S. Coast Guard vessel documentation officer and inspector for 25 years in Morgan City, Louisiana. Upon retiring, Jim and his wife, Merle, moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, to be with family and enjoyed a second home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spending time with lifelong friends. Jim devoted his entire life to service to his country and his family. He would refer to his many years of government service work as honest work from which he earned an honest dollar. He was a devout Catholic always loyal to his faith. Survivors include his son, Attorney Michael S. O'Brien and his wife, Jane Fleming O'Brien, and two granddaughters, Nicole O'Brien and Kaitlyn O'Brien, of Lafayette. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. W.T. O'Brien, Sr., and his wife, Alice, of Natchez, Mississippi; his sister-in-law, Camille Johnson Foret of Lafayette; his brother-in-law, Clifford S. Durand, and his wife, Suzanne Barras Durand, of St. Martinville; and many wonderful and caring nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Rita Merle Durand O'Brien; his parents, William T. O'Brien, Sr., and Wilhelmina Muhs O'Brien; his two brothers, John and Charles O'Brien, and Charles' daughter, Patricia. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Dr. John Bernard, Dr. Lester Ducote, Dr. David Autin, Dr. Chi Pham, and Connie Rourke for their dedicated service in managing Jim's healthcare. Pallbearers will be Jimmy O'Brien, Dr. Thomas O'Brien, John O'Brien, Clifford Durand, Robert Fleming, and Paul Fleming. Honorary Pallbearers will be Charlie DeBaillon, Roland Bienvenu of Lafayette, George Dibenedetto of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and his brother, Dr. W. T. O'Brien of Natchez, Mississippi. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. on Friday and continue until 12:30 p.m. A rosary will be recited at 12 noon. Pellerin Funeral Home, 112 New Market Street, St. Martinville, LA 70582 (337.394.9121) is in charge of arrangements.