James Gerald O’Brien, 84, of Palm Beach, Fla., died Nov. 22, 2015, at Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, Conn., following a brief illness. He is the son of Margaret and Thomas F. O'Brien.
His wife of 50 years, Jane-Marie Curley O’Brien, predeceased him in 2012. He and his wife Jane-Marie raised their family in Wilton, Conn.
He is survived by his five children: Katie O’Brien Shah of New York, N.Y.; Sheila O’Brien of Potomac, Md.; Geraldine O’Brien Jones of Dallas, Texas; James Gerald O’Brien, Jr. of Wilton; Meaghan O’Brien Reyes of Manhasset, N.Y., his 14 grandchildren; his daughter-in-law Kate Swasko; his sons-in-law Dhiren Shah and Juan D Reyes; his sister Marjory Foresta of Las Vegas, Nev., and many friends.
He was born in Seattle, Wash., and raised in Butte, Mont. He graduated from Butte Central High School, Butte, Mont. He then served in the Army during the Korean War.
Following his military service, he graduated from the University of New Mexico, and from Georgetown University (JD degree) and from New York University (LLM in Tax).
After beginning his career at AMF, he joined Bankers Trust in New York, N.Y. as a Tax Advisor, and after decades of distinguished work, he retired as Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Bankers Trust.
“Jim,” as he was known after his military service, will be remembered for his perpetual encouragement to pursue education, his business acumen, his thirst for news about the world around him, and his love of family.
A burial service with full military honors was held at Hillside Cemetery in Wilton, Conn., in December 2015.