Friederike "Freddy" Franziska O'Brien

Freddy O’Brien, beloved mother, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully September 16, 2026, in Chilliwack General Hospital, at the age of 72. She will be remembered for her humour, selflessness, strength, and the love she gave so generously to her family and friends.

On August 26, 1954, Freddy was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada at the age of 3. Freddy spent her early years traveling around British Columbia with her family before settling in Summerland where they began growing grapes on their property, Saint Katharina’s Vineyard.

Freddy spent the last 20 years at the Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association (FVBIA) working as the Office Manager, Events Coordinator, and as a community educator. Freddy was passionate about her time in the community, educating individuals from all walks of life about the brain, brain injury, and how to protect your head. The FVBIA was not just a job for her, but a community and a family.

Surviving Freddy is her daughter, Victoria, and her nieces Katie and Micka, as well as many other family members and close friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Kurt and Katharina, and her nephew, Georgie.

Outside of her family, Freddy enjoyed reading, hosting dinner parties and trying new recipes, and almost any holiday (especially Christmas). She had a gift for making people feel welcome and never hesitated to lend a hand or ear. Freddy was the epitome of strong, beating stage 4 cancer as well as many other obstacles life threw in her way. Freddy leaves behind a legacy of friendship, service, love and compassion. She will be missed profoundly by her family, friends, and the many others whose lives she touched.

Please join us on October 9, 2026, at 11:00am at St. Mary’s Parish in Chilliwack to celebrate Freddy’s life. A reception will be held at Offy at 1:00pm.

Anyone that knew Freddy knew she would not want everyone to be sad and dressed in black. To honour this, we ask that everyone wears a “fun” shirt- think Hawaiian, Christmas sweater, tie-dye, etc.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following organizations she was passionate about:

Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association: https://fvbia.org

BC SPCA: https://spca.bc.ca