Kathleen “Kathy” Mary (Stone) O’Brien passed away peacefully on December 15, 2024, at the age of 76, following a long illness.
The oldest of four children, she was born on July 14, 1948, in Cambridge to Mary L. Stone (Murphy) and William D. Stone.
The Stone family lived in Watertown until Kathy was six, when they moved to Concord. She loved growing up in Concord with bike rides around town, playing games in “Paradise Valley” with her siblings and other neighborhood children, and occasionally even hitching a ride to Walden Pond for a swim. Kathy was a force on the baseball diamond at Emerson Field, loved her time lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons at Walden, White Pond and Heritage Pool & Racquet Club, and could often be found picking corn and raspberries with her sisters in the summer.
Kathy attended Rose Hawthorne School in Concord, graduating in 1966. She continued her education at Regis College in Weston, earning her degree in 1970. She pursued a master’s in education at Boston College and began teaching middle school at St. Patrick’s School in Watertown upon graduation. Kathy also spent a year teaching with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Kingston, Jamaica.
She met Francis “Frank” O’Brien in 1973. The couple married on September 7, 1974, and settled in Watertown before moving to Concord in 1977. Kathy took a break from teaching when her daughter was born to focus on raising her family. She and Frank spent many hours on the football, soccer, and lacrosse fields, in hockey rinks, and too many swim meets to count.
Kathy returned to teaching in 1988 at Lincoln Country Day School in Lincoln, followed by 25 years at St. Clement Parish School in Somerville, where she taught first grade.
In retirement, Kathy enjoyed an active lifestyle, playing golf, tennis, and pickleball and relaxing by the pool in her backyard or at Concord Country Club. She developed a love for bridge, which was a game that brought her much joy, but her favorite activity was spending time with her beloved grandchildren and golden retrievers.
Survivors include husband Frank; children Kathleen Ramirez (Roberto) of Concord, Christopher O’Brien (Kristen) of Carlisle, and Michael O’Brien (Elizabeth) of Carlisle; seven grandchildren, Isabella, Alexandra, and Gabriella Ramirez, William and Emerson O’Brien, and May and Lydia O’Brien; sister Elizabeth Railsback (David) of Concord sister-in-law Kathleen Stone of Concord; three brothers-in-law, Wallace Weeks, Thomas O’Brien, and Joseph O’Brien; four nieces and two nephews, and many cousins. She is predeceased by her parents, sister Christine Weeks, and brother William Stone.
Family and friends will gather for visiting hours from 5-7 p.m., Sunday, December 22, in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford Street, Concord Center. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, December 23, in St. Bernard’s Church at Holy Family Parish, 12 Monument Square, Concord Center. Following the church service, there will be a Celebration of Life reception at Concord Country Club, 246 Old Road to Nine Acre Corner. Burial will be at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Contributions in her memory may be made to The National Kidney Foundation.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Kathy’s online guestbook, visit DeeFuneralHome.com.
