Elizabeth Ellen Quirk O’Brien

Elizabeth (Betty) O’Brien, 93, of Kansas City, MO, died peacefully at home,
October 16, 2014. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, October 21, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1800 SW State Route
150, Lee’s Summit, MO. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the church.

Betty was born November 18, 1920, the firstborn child of John W. Quirk and
Aileen Livers Quirk. She grew up in Kansas City with brothers Mickey, Paul
and Bill Quirk, attended St. Louis Catholic School and graduated from Paseo High
School. During her teen years, Betty was active in Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
social and musical activities, once starring in an operetta presented at the Kansas City
Music Hall. A devout Catholic and mother of eight children, Betty was a member of
St. Catherine’s Parish for many years, and with husband Larry, a founding
member of Holy Spirit in Lee’s Summit. She belonged to the Ladies of Charity of
Metropolitan Kansas City, volunteered at the Seton Center, and was a board member of
St. Joseph Medical Center when it moved to south Kansas City.

Always cheerful, enthusiastic, and welcoming, Betty loved to entertain family and
friends at the family home, Windy Hill. She loved Irish music, books, puzzles, cards and phone calls.
She was a member of book clubs and bridge clubs throughout her life, most recently part of a lively bridge group at John Knox Village.
She especially enjoyed playing card and board games with her children and grandchildren at home and at the Red Cabin.

Betty is survived by her husband of 68 years, Larry W. O’Brien, and six children:
Don O’Brien and wife Catherine, sons Terry and Tim O’Brien, daughter Eileen Dupuy and husband Rich, William O’Brien and wife Ava, and Bob O’Brien and wife Yvonne.
Betty also leaves 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren that she loved dearly, along with a very large extended family.

Betty was preceded in death by son L. Patrick O’Brien and daughter Marian O’Brien White; by granddaughter Tara Aileen Cable; by great-grandsons Brandon James and Bennett Carney Dickey;
by brothers John Jr., Mickey, Paul and Bill Quirk;
and by her first husband, USNR Lt. Don E. Carney, deceased June, 1944.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Seton Center of Kansas City,
or to Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, whose exceptional caregivers
daily provide kind and invaluable support to area families.
Assistance by Funeral Advocates, LLC.