I am devastated to just learn that this wonderful, exceptional individual was called home this past March, on a very befitting day Good Friday. I lost my very Irish husband on Easter Sunday in 2008, so I must conclude this is not by accident, that we lose very special people on very special days.                                            I will be forever grateful for John serving as my Mother's attorney in a very difficult heart rendering case.  He truly became our security blanket and of course prevailed in her defense.  John was a stellar example of what an attorney should be. a rare find in todays environment. To find a replacement for him is IMPOSSIBLE!!  John possessed complete integrity, true compassion. determination, unending drive and knowledge beyond belief. Our legal community lost a huge asset at what I observe to be a low point in our justice system.                                 God Bless You John I know you are resting in peace in God's Kingdom: you are sorely missed here on earth.

I would like to comment on what a special individual John was and is, also he was the Best Dressed Attorney in Las Vegas.Rest well my friend..Mary

The legal profession just lost one its great
giants and mentors.   He was a great friend 
to so many people.
We will miss him.
Brent Larsen

John was a fine lawyer and a true gentleman.  He also had courage.  My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

My most heartfelt condolences to the O'Brien family. I met John along with my twin brother, Dan when we first came to Las Vegas! Our Uncle Reuben and Aunt Lorraine introduced us to John. John was one of the kindest and most respectful people that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. We would see each other periodically at the Whole Foods on West Sahara and it was always the same. A kind greeting and a smile. I am shocked and saddened but I have come to realize that his profound work will live forever. Thank you John for creating so many wonderful memories in my life and I am sure for the citizens of Nevada as well. Rest in Peace, my friend.

John was such a smart lawyer, and truly a gentleman!  I will always remember his kindness, and will miss him!

I am so incredibly fortunate that John was in my life. He was a great brother and so much more to both me and my son. I will never forget him or his countless acts of support and kindness. After our father passed away and when I was just 10, he took on the role of getting me oriented in life-- and he got me back on track when I found myself lost. He was smart, hardworking, straightforward, and consistent and matched those qualities with an amazing sense of humor and warm manner to people of all backgrounds. Even though we always lived far part apart from each other, he has always been with me, and I will miss him much more than words can ever express.

John D. O'Brien had three brothers through his father's second marriage. As one of the three, I'd like to offer a few reflections on what John meant to me growing up. My father, sidelined by various debilitating illnesses, died in 1970. Around that time, John, fifteen years older than me, became a key figure in my life, although we lived in different parts of the country.

There's a lot to be said regarding John's importance for my brothers and me. Three specific points quickly come to mind. First was the impact of John's success in his profession in expanding the range of options for what might be possible in our own lives. John, I had understood, came to Las Vegas with no family or other connections, and, through an extraordinary work ethic, made himself into a prominent figure in the legal community in Nevada. 

I ultimately wound up in a profession and country of residence different from John's, but he inspired the adventure. The same perhaps can be said for my two brothers, Matt and Louis, who, like me, ended up fashioning productive lives in places far from Omaha, Nebraska, where we grew up. An essential condition, it seems to me in retrospect, was the precedent set by John's pioneer spirit.

The second point is even more important. John was not simply successful but benevolent. John, I understood implicitly, had our best interests at heart. Among fond memories are the family trips to the West coast that John had arranged when I was a high school student, one of which included a stop at Palo Alto to visit the Stanford University campus. It moves me today to recall how John encouraged a potential in us far beyond what we could have imagined at the time.

The third point concerns the work ethic mentioned above. John not only told us that in professional life hard work is essential to achievement, ultimately counting more than anything else, he enacted this principle in his life, day after day. 

John's simple and powerful example likely informed my own approach to parenthood. When my daughter Madeleine was growing up, my strategy was to praise her work ethic rather than her course grades. While not thinking then of John, I nonetheless drew on the wisdom of what he taught me.

Much more can be said concerning John's role in my life, beginning with his sense of humor. (When we last spoke, John, apropos of my daughter's university acceptance, reported that his own academic record had been mixed: failing to receive a Fullbright, he ended up with a half-bright instead. The comic timing was perfect.) My aim here has been only to single out a few reasons why the news of John's passing leaves me with a deep sense of loss.

John was a great mentor and example of professionalism in the law. He was one of the first lawyers I met when I started practice. I sought his advice often and was honored to call him my friend.

John was a great lawyer and more importantly a great and honorable man. He was a mentor to me and many other attorneys in Las Vegas. One could not ask for a better historian of the legal profession in this state than John. Intelligent, humble, gracious and kind there are not enough adjectives to describe this man. I will miss him and especially talking to him about the practice of yesteryear and the colorful characters of that time. God bless John and his family.

He was just a great person.  I will never forget the help and advice he gave to me.

John, It was an absolute honor and pleasure to meet you. I told you many times how much I admired your intellect but more importantly your sense of humor. You would keep Liane and I in stitches recalling old tales of renown legal dignitaries in Las Vegas. Without knowing it you mentored me in a manner no other person has. I will miss you my friend. Thank you for all you have done for me. Fly high and free in eternity and every now and then throw that Irish smile my way if I ever cross your mind. Dale A. Hayes

The faculty and staff of the Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. John D. O'Brien, an intelligent, wonderful and caring man who served our school in Las Vegas, and our sister school in Colorado, as a trustee of the Alexander Dawson Foundation for more than 40 years. We will miss him.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

John Darby O'Brien

10 juillet 1940 – 30 mars 2018

Palm Eastern Mortuary & Cemetery

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