John Thomas O'Brien

Born December 11, 1930, just minutes before his identical twin Edward, in South Amboy, NJ, John was the eldest of five children of Edward James “The Chief” and Margaret (Smith) O’Brien. He attended St. Mary’s High School.

From humble beginnings, sports began as a pastime and became Johnny’s lifelong passion. The twins received scholarships to Seattle University (SU) where Johnny was an All-American and the first college basketball player to score 1000 points in a season. Together, they helped put SU on the map, most notably in the 1952 upset victory against the Harlem Globetrotters. He graduated from SU with a degree in Business, going on to play professional baseball for six years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Braves.

His sports accomplishments have been well chronicled – all impressive in their own right, but it was the little things he did that really ended up being the big things.

Johnny met Jeanne Kumhera at SU, he the Basketball Star and she the Homecoming Queen. It took Jeanne a year to say yes to his marriage proposal, after which they raised seven children together on Capitol Hill in Seattle. She was his perfect match for 70 years. They had their hands full but managed to always be in the stands for their kids’ sporting events and in the pews at St. Joseph’s, a community which was an important and integral part of their lives.

When Johnny’s athletic career ended, he worked as a King County Commissioner for 12 years, then as Operations Manager at the Seattle Kingdome, a job that combined his love of sports and business acumen. Once retired, he and his brothers coached more than 6,000 kids at camps put on by O’Brien Baseball Services. He dedicated 30+ years to the Forgotten Children's Fund and volunteered weekly at St. Francis House.

He loved his family and friends unwaveringly. Whether Wednesday lunches with friends, Friday cards with Joe, or any time with his grandkids, he always made room for loved ones. Bringing people together brought him great joy – the Kumhera Christmas and O’Brien St. Patrick’s Day parties were his favorite, consistently epic, events.

We will miss this wonderful person who his sports opponents called “a little big man.” His stature may have been small, but his life was big, and we were privileged to be along for the ride.

John is survived by his children: Anne (Fran), John (Susan), Julie (Steve), Frank (Debbie), Pat (Meagan), Joe (Debbie), Kerri Hong; and grandchildren: Eva, Davis (Jeanne), Evan, Riley (Chellyn), Will, Blake, Brendan, Connor, Michael, Elle, and Johnny; as well as many nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne; daughter, Mary; parents, Edward and Margaret (Smith) O’Brien; twin brother, Ed, brothers, Jim, Bill (Mary), and sister, Teresa (Don).

John’s funeral service will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Seattle, on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 11:00am. A celebration of life will immediately follow at Campion Ballroom, Seattle University campus. Parking is in Murphy Garage.

Donations can be made to the EDDIE O’BRIEN ATHLETIC ENDOWMENT FUND at Seattle University. For online donations go to seattleu.com (GIVE NOW) > Click drop down arrow under WANT TO SUPPORT > EDDIE O’BRIEN ATHLETIC ENDOWMENT FUND. Please type JOHNNY O’BRIEN in the IN MEMORY OF section.