BOONE, Iowa—Funeral arrangements have been set for 81 year old Michael J. O’Brien of Boone, Iowa. He passed away on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 until 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at The Church of the Sacred Heart in Boone. A private family Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, March 22, 2021 at The Church of the Sacred Heart. The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed on Mike’s Tribute Wall on the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel’s website. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Boone.
Michael O’Brien was born in Shenandoah, IA to Grace (Sims) and Thomas O’Brien, and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Glenn Parrish. The family followed Glenn’s naval career, living in various locations including Hawaii, where Mike graduated high school. He returned home to attend Iowa State Teacher’s College on a baseball scholarship. The baseball he loved; the classes proved somewhat less interesting to him as a young man. After a stint in the Air Force, including service during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he returned to school, more dedicated to task, and to the young woman he had met there.
Mike O’Brien wed the first love of his life, Marilyn Seiler, in 1962. Together they had six children in no time. He liked to tell the story of coming home from teaching one day and finding her kneeling in prayer. He overheard her saying, “Lord, I know I asked you for a lot of children…but maybe not so quickly.” They moved to Boone in 1968 and in 1974 purchased a former summer camp on the Des Moines river. O’Brien’s Ranch taught horsemanship to sixteen years of campers. Hundreds of girls called him Mr. O and, even now, recognize what an important teacher of life’s lessons he was in their lives. Hundreds more knew him from his nearly 30 years of teaching at Boone High School. It was not at all uncommon to hear in those years, “Time for O’Brien’s Government.” Marilyn passed away in 1990.
In 1993, Mike married the second love of his life, Ronna Moorman. While he had sworn off ever falling in love again, she persuaded him otherwise. She brought him laughter and, as a bonus, three adult daughters who Mike considered his own. With Ronna’s help, Mike ran for and won his first term in the Iowa Legislature. It was the path to which he was destined: In high school, he had won the senior class presidency with the slogan, “Vote for O’Brien, the Irish Hawaiian.” He represented Boone and the surrounding communities for eight years, then served nearly as long as a Boone County Supervisor. In the State House, he was most proud of helping to preserve the horse trails at Brushy Creek State Park, and expanding the Dragoon Trail. When nearly eighty, his children finally persuaded him to retire as his work ethic was tiring them out.
Mike and Ronna traveled the country and parts of the world. As often as he could, he would bring along Joker, his favorite trail horse, and Theo, whom the other siblings suspected was his favorite among them. He wouldn’t even deny it when they teased him that he liked the dog better than any of his kids.
Mike is survived by his brother Richard and sister-in-law Joan his loving wife, Ronna, eight children and their spouses: Michelle and Troy Brower; Chris and Jayne O’Brien; Cori and Paul Allen; David and Becky O’Brien; Denny and Amy O’Brien; Stacie Sesker and Betty Cottrell; Melissa and Jeff Bennett; Cris and Andy Downey. Fourteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren (with at least one other pending): Hallie Brower; Alivia and Carson Stickler and Declan; Sydni Allen and Elijah Derrerra and their children Lakin and Liam; Luke Allen; Abbey O’Brien and Jake O’Brien; Sean O’Brien and Rory O’Brien; Dylan Ott and Ben Ott; Spencer Bennett, Paige and Josh Crowder and baby Harper; Grace Downey and Jack Downey. He was preceded in death by one son, Timothy. Mike is also survived by two enormous families, the Seilers and the Moormans who welcomed him in and kept him as their own.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Mike’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Sacred Heart School or the Mike O’Brien Family.
Michael O’Brien, 81, Boone, Iowa
