Christopher O'Brien

Chris passed away unexpectedly. He was the son of Kennedy O’Brien and Sylvia (Hefty) O’Brien. Besides his parents, he is survived by siblings Donovan, Adam, Byron, Kennedy Jr., and Jeremy. Chris fought with a mental illness for the majority of his life. He began an association with Community Living Centres 20 years ago and remained until his passing. He will be greatly missed by friends Donald and Evan. Staff at Community Living Centres are greatly saddened by this tragic event. Chris touched the hearts of many people he met over the years. In his younger years he played floor hockey, baseball and any other sport he could. His love of sports continued beyond his playing days. He followed professional sports including his favourite, hockey, daily and kept extensive statistics on teams and players. At times he would use his statistics to play Pro-Line, successfully at times. Chris was a big man with a big heart. He was a crosswalk guard in the south end of Halifax (Vernon and Watt Sts.) for the past several years. Initially, Chris found this difficult as he did not like the cold weather and was concerned about the responsibility of the children’s safety. He persevered and stayed at it. Over the last few years Chris loved his job and loved the children. He would often talk of the children and was excited to tell people about watching them grow up and move from Elementary to Junior High school. Even on the coldest days he would say he had to go to work, he had to look after the kids. As evidenced by a recent article in the Chronicle Herald, the feelings between Chris and those who crossed his corner were mutual. Chris had a kind word for everybody and was a vocal advocate for the “underdog”, whether it be his favourite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings; a friend of his who was going through a difficult time or someone he met on the street who he felt was in need. Chris’s love for people was contagious. Chris’s body may be gone, but his memory will live on in many, many people. If those of us left behind touched others as Chris’s did, this would be a better world for all. There will be a visitation followed by a memorial service held at Cruikshank’s Funeral Home on Windsor St., Halifax on Tuesday January 20th beginning at 9:30am.