Elizabeth O'brien

of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully, at the age of 91, on February 15, 2011.

“Sure it was a sad day on earth

And a joyful one in heaven,

When Betty O’Brien, as fine an Irish lass as ever there was,

Passed through the Pearly Gates.

The Lord Himself will have his hands full

Matching wits with Betty,

Her feisty nature and strong will

Shall forever keep the angels hopping.”

Betty was born on April 21, 1919, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Robert and Anna McCoy. She was preceded in death by her husband Paul “Pete” O’Brien, her daughter Lynn Mary O’Brien and her dear sisters and brother Grace, Agnes, Kathleen and James. She is survived by sons; Patrick (wife, Patricia), Michael, Jeffrey (wife, Mary), Kathleen (husband, Dirk), William, Steven (wife, Cathy) and James (wife, Kelly), grandchildren; Anthony, Megan, Kyle, Bridget, Daniel, Sheila, Ryan, Ian, Sean, Amber, Justin, JD, Bobby and Arielle, great-grandchildren; Adamma, Dylan and Audrey.

Mom was a great wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She made the best cookies, bread and cinnamon rolls in Indiana. After raising her own eight kids, she could always be counted on to care for the flock of grandchildren, whom she dearly loved. A typical day with Grandma would include an outing to Glendale Mall to check out the bookstores and toys, a side trip to Dollar General for a priceless $1.00 treasure and then a trip to Steak & Shake for lunch. Her grandkids found her a wonderful listener and would share with her secrets that their parents will never know.

She was an avid reader, loved to follow politics, watch the new shows on TV and never shied away from a good argument. Although she was a Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packer fan until the end, she also cheered for the Colts, Pacers and old Notre Dame. Clipping helpful articles from the newspaper was her hobby and she would disperse this wisdom to her sons and daughters, which they would always follow to a “T”.

Mom loved her family, her Irish heritage and her Catholic faith. She was an active member of St. Joan of Arc parish for over 50 years.

After a visit with mom, as we were leaving, she would always tell us “to behave ourselves”. Don’t worry Mom, we’ll do our best.

Mass of Christian burial will be on Friday, February 18 at 11:00 am at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Visitation will be from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Church. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joan of Arc School, 500 East 42nd St., Indianapolis, IN 46205. Memorial tributes may be offered at www.feeneyhornakkeystone.com.