George S. O’Brien, after beating the odds for years, passed away awake and present on March 1, 2017 when his abdominal aortic aneurysm finally burst.

Born in Joliet Illinois, supporting himself since the age of 14, George attended Glenbard HS, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on November 16, 1942.

Stationed in Pueblo Colorado, he met his beloved wife Henrietta, at a skating rink and married her in the backyard of his in-laws home, on March 8, 1944. George served as a Radio-Gunner on a B-24 with the 15th Air Corps in Italy during 1944-1945.

Back from the war, George worked at the USPS and then as postal inspector at the Federal Center in Denver until he opened his own business, O’Brien Sales Agency in Denver, a manufacturers’ representative company that worked with various electronic and non-destructive testing firms.

A member of the Greatest Generation, a child of the Great Depression, George was a gambling man and never gave up the fight. He was an active Member of the VFW, an avid golfer, a decades long regular at Park Hill Country Club, and a devoted, unshakable Yankees fan since, as a boy, he met Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio on a train. A fascinating storyteller, George was known and admired for his quick wit, his sharp sense of humor and his remarkable ability to tell the same stories, especially tales from the war, over and over and make those stories better every time he told them.

He is survived by wife Henrietta, daughters Cathy and Laurie, grandchildren, Sheldon, Kevin and Cory, and two great grandchildren, Kirsten and Dylan, as well as nephews Mark and Danny, his sister Pat and her children Susie, Patty, Tim, Chris, and John.

Funeral Service will be held on April 26th, at Newcomer Funeral Home West Metro Chapel, 11:00AM, followed by interment at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver Colorado and a Reception immediately following the interment at VFW Post 501.