Evanston Obituary: Vanessa O'Brien

The following obituary was submitted to Patch.

Vanessa O’Brien of Evanston, IL, died February 19, 2016, at St. Francis Hospital. She is survived by her son Johnny, father Tim and stepmother Karen O’Brien of Evanston; daughter Mary of San Francisco, CA; mother Linda Nolan of Catskill, NY and her two sons Matt and Rick; grandparents Jenny and Bob Schrock of Cairo, NY; and aunts, uncles, and cousins in NY, NJ, and CA. She was preceded in death by grandparents Mary Alice O’Brien, George Vogel, and Catherine ‘Kitty’ and George ‘Buddy’ O’Brien of New York.

Born in Queens, NY, on November 29, 1975, Vanessa attended middle school in Pennsylvania, high school in California, and college in Illinois.

Family and friends knew Vanessa as an extraordinarily kind, generous, and very gentle soul. She coped courageously with chronic illness for many years and inspired others with her dedication to her family and community.

Services will be held in Evanston at St. Luke’s Church, 939 Hinman Ave on Saturday, March 5 at 11:00 AM and in Walden, NY on Saturday, March 26.