Elizabeth (Prince) O’Brien of Melrose (previously of Malden) passed away peacefully December 26 at the age of 93, surrounded by her grateful and loving family. Elizabeth, known as Betty to her many friends and family, was a longtime beloved and active member of the Joseph T Cefalo Memorial Complex community.
Betty was born November 22, 1929, in Everett, Mass., the second oldest of 11. She is the former wife of the late John A. O’Brien. She is predeceased by two sons, Daniel J. O’Brien and James A. O’Brien of Malden.
She is survived by four children: Cynthia Myers (husband Michael) of Sandwich, Mass.; Thomas W. O’Brien of Olympia, Wash.; David E. O’Brien of Amherst, Mass., and Ellen (O’Brien) Graham (husband Scott) of Roslindale, Mass.
Grandchildren: The late Kathryn Myers of New Orleans and Jack Myers of Newport, R.I.; Christopher O’Brien (wife Andrea) of Tumwater, Wash.; Timothy O’Brien of New York City; Daniel O’Brien of Olympia, Wash.; Alasdair O’Brien of Kodiak, Alaska; and Ethan Graham of Roslindale. She also was thrilled to welcome a great-grandson earlier this year, Finnegan Martin O’Brien of Tumwater, Wash.
She is also survived by cherished sisters Christine Hegarty of Melrose, Martha Warren of Malden, Joan Post of Florida, Margaret Broussard of Melrose, and Linda Smith of Contocook, N.H., many nieces and nephews, and Anne Prince of Saugus, wife to her late brother Walter.
She was a sister to the late Dorothy (Prince) White, Walter F. Prince Jr., Barbara (Prince) Schulze, Robert Prince, and David Prince.
Betty, a lifelong learner, was a 1966 graduate of Tufts University and a 1973 graduate of Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She had a fulfilling career as the Medical Librarian at the New England Memorial Hospital, where she was recognized for her outstanding dedication to doctors and staff.
She is also remembered for her love of the outdoors, cross-country skiing, and camping. She learned to sail at Community Boating on the Charles River, where she joined a sailing club, and enjoyed many memorable trips to Cape Cod with close friends and a (since-deceased) companion, Walter Bartlett. She later said the ocean trips calmed and soothed her at a time of immense grief after the death of her son Daniel.
She loved the sunsets at Race Point in Provincetown, and made annual Labor Day trips there with her family past the age of 90. One of her favorite memories was seeing a meteor shower on Cape Cod with her son Tom, her former daughter-in-law Theresa May-O’Brien of Konya, Turkey, and her grandchildren, whom she doted on.
An avid reader, Betty was an enthusiastic member of her local libraries, and the staffs at the Malden and Melrose Public Libraries were among her favorite acquaintances. In the last year, she made a close friend in Julie Sbraccia-Manos of Wilmington, Mass., who assisted her with trips to the library and helped Betty’s children keep up with her active, daily schedule. She also held Jeannette Neill of Brookline, formerly married to her son David, very close to her heart.
After age 80, once her grandson Ethan was born, Betty dedicated several years to visiting, vacationing with, and bringing her generous and lively spirit to him and his parents, Ellen and Scott, a son-in-law she adored. She shared her intellectual curiosity and delightful sense of humor with everyone she met, and she could recount historical moments with remarkable storytelling skills, including standing with her husband John at the Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream” Speech in Washington, D.C., in 1963.
She loved poetry and puns, and relied on her sense of humor until her final hours.
Family and friends are invited to a memorial visitation at the Spadafora Funeral Home at 865 Main Street in Malden to share photos and memories of Betty on Friday, December 30, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the James and Daniel O'Brien Memorial Fund, Malden Public Library, 36 Salem Street, Malden 02148.
Her family would like to acknowledge the wonderful team of nurses at the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital.