Obituary for Clayton John "Jack" O'Brien
Clayton John O’Brien (90), affectionately known as Jack, of Harwich, Massachusetts, passed away after a long and valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease on August 3, 2023. His good humor and easy going nature were with him until the end.
Jack was born to Clayton and Jacqueline (LaRoque) O’Brien on April 30, 1933, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to the family settling in Geneva, NY, Jack and his 3 brothers, Bill, Bob, and Patrick lived in West Virginia. After graduating from De Sales High School in 1951, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he expanded on his love and passion for flying. He graduated Aviation Cadets in 1955, and eventually achieved the rank of Major. Show him a plane, ask him about a plane, and Jack would tell you how it flies, the parts of the plane, and its purpose. He loved talking about flying C-124 cargo planes over the Atlantic, flying C-54s air rescue missions over Iceland, and performing flight tests at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. In 1956 he flew on a mission to find a Russian fishing boat locked in the ice off Greenland, where they found the crew alive and requesting Playboy Magazines! For 15 more years, Jack continued to serve in the United States Air Force Reserve and National Guard where he flew C-119s, C-124s, and Cessna Sky Masters – even flying over his family’s house every now and then to ‘wave’ his wings hello. During this time, Jack started a family, briefly piloted for Mohawk Airlines, sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door, and then began his professional career with Eastman Kodak, working with the printing industry for 20 years, until his retirement in 1991. It was during the Kodak years that Jack discovered Soar Planes (Gliders); many a weekend was spent in Dansville, NY getting towed into the clouds and then gliding thru the sky.
Jack and his wife Kathleen (“Kate”) Power O’Brien married in 1982 and settled in Fairport NY, but were soon moved by Kodak to Duxbury, MA where they spent 11 very happy years, making lifelong friends. Jack became a fixture at the Marshfield Airport, where he obtained his instructor pilot’s rating. Their love of Massachusetts’ southern coast led them to retire to Harwich, MA where they have lived since 1995. Ever the salesman, Jack stayed busy in his retirement selling boat docks part-time.
From his late 50s to his mid-80s, Jack thrived in the skies over the Eastern Seaboard, Canada, and Ireland, artfully ‘selling’ his students on the love and mystique of flying. He was proud to have spent hundreds of flight hours with students, re-certifying pilots, and anyone seeking time in the sky. Jack volunteered as a pilot for Angel MedFlight and flew for the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, aiding in the Northern Right Whale surveillance study. Additionally, Jack was a proud member of CAPA (Chatham/Cape Cod Area Pilots Association) and the QBs (Quiet Birdmen), flight enthusiast groups that met monthly. Jack lived to instruct, to get in a plane and fly over Cape Cod, to ‘hop’ over to Nantucket, and take his family and grandchildren soaring in the sky – occasionally diving into a ‘lazy 8’ just for fun. Put Jack in an airplane or airplane hangar and he was like a kid in a candy shop! Even at Jack’s 90th birthday celebration, he could tell you about every plane he ever flew, with over 8500 flight hours in his lifetime. When he wasn’t flying, Jack and Kate enjoyed 18 years of living part-time at their cottage in Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland, where they loved to entertain family and friends. He especially loved hiking, biking and exploring Southwest Ireland.
Jack is survived by Kate, his loving wife of 42 years, and their combined family of 7 children: John (Beth) O’Brien of Allentown, NJ; Gilford O’Brien of Madison, WI; Catherine Cecelia O’Brien of Rochester, NY; Timothy (Mary) O’Brien of Honeoye Falls, NY; Elizabeth (Jared) Smith of Irondequoit, NY; Amanda (Craig) O’Reilly of Westborough, MA; and Brian Ferry of Boise, ID. Jack was predeceased by his parents Clayton and Jacqueline, and brothers Bill and Patrick; he is survived by his brother Bob of Biloxi, Mississippi along with nieces Anne Ray and Michelle O’Brien and countless adoring friends and family. Grandpa Jack was loved and will be deeply missed by his 14 grandchildren: Brittany and Samantha O’Brien; Keanan, Devon and Mary Grace O’Brien; Jacqueline and Jacob O’Brien; Liam, Sean and Hannah Smith; Maeve, Desmond, Clare and Kathleen O’Reilly; and great-grandson Carson Youngs.
Jack’s family would like to acknowledge the superb support from the caregivers at VNA Hospice of Cape Cod, especially Susan Johnson.
Donations in Jack’s memory may be made to “VNA Respite Care” c/o the Cape Cod Health Foundation, P.O. Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Burial will be on Monday, August 14 at 1:45PM at the MA National Cemetery, Connery Ave., Bourne, MA.
Jack was born to Clayton and Jacqueline (LaRoque) O’Brien on April 30, 1933, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to the family settling in Geneva, NY, Jack and his 3 brothers, Bill, Bob, and Patrick lived in West Virginia. After graduating from De Sales High School in 1951, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he expanded on his love and passion for flying. He graduated Aviation Cadets in 1955, and eventually achieved the rank of Major. Show him a plane, ask him about a plane, and Jack would tell you how it flies, the parts of the plane, and its purpose. He loved talking about flying C-124 cargo planes over the Atlantic, flying C-54s air rescue missions over Iceland, and performing flight tests at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. In 1956 he flew on a mission to find a Russian fishing boat locked in the ice off Greenland, where they found the crew alive and requesting Playboy Magazines! For 15 more years, Jack continued to serve in the United States Air Force Reserve and National Guard where he flew C-119s, C-124s, and Cessna Sky Masters – even flying over his family’s house every now and then to ‘wave’ his wings hello. During this time, Jack started a family, briefly piloted for Mohawk Airlines, sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door, and then began his professional career with Eastman Kodak, working with the printing industry for 20 years, until his retirement in 1991. It was during the Kodak years that Jack discovered Soar Planes (Gliders); many a weekend was spent in Dansville, NY getting towed into the clouds and then gliding thru the sky.
Jack and his wife Kathleen (“Kate”) Power O’Brien married in 1982 and settled in Fairport NY, but were soon moved by Kodak to Duxbury, MA where they spent 11 very happy years, making lifelong friends. Jack became a fixture at the Marshfield Airport, where he obtained his instructor pilot’s rating. Their love of Massachusetts’ southern coast led them to retire to Harwich, MA where they have lived since 1995. Ever the salesman, Jack stayed busy in his retirement selling boat docks part-time.
From his late 50s to his mid-80s, Jack thrived in the skies over the Eastern Seaboard, Canada, and Ireland, artfully ‘selling’ his students on the love and mystique of flying. He was proud to have spent hundreds of flight hours with students, re-certifying pilots, and anyone seeking time in the sky. Jack volunteered as a pilot for Angel MedFlight and flew for the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, aiding in the Northern Right Whale surveillance study. Additionally, Jack was a proud member of CAPA (Chatham/Cape Cod Area Pilots Association) and the QBs (Quiet Birdmen), flight enthusiast groups that met monthly. Jack lived to instruct, to get in a plane and fly over Cape Cod, to ‘hop’ over to Nantucket, and take his family and grandchildren soaring in the sky – occasionally diving into a ‘lazy 8’ just for fun. Put Jack in an airplane or airplane hangar and he was like a kid in a candy shop! Even at Jack’s 90th birthday celebration, he could tell you about every plane he ever flew, with over 8500 flight hours in his lifetime. When he wasn’t flying, Jack and Kate enjoyed 18 years of living part-time at their cottage in Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland, where they loved to entertain family and friends. He especially loved hiking, biking and exploring Southwest Ireland.
Jack is survived by Kate, his loving wife of 42 years, and their combined family of 7 children: John (Beth) O’Brien of Allentown, NJ; Gilford O’Brien of Madison, WI; Catherine Cecelia O’Brien of Rochester, NY; Timothy (Mary) O’Brien of Honeoye Falls, NY; Elizabeth (Jared) Smith of Irondequoit, NY; Amanda (Craig) O’Reilly of Westborough, MA; and Brian Ferry of Boise, ID. Jack was predeceased by his parents Clayton and Jacqueline, and brothers Bill and Patrick; he is survived by his brother Bob of Biloxi, Mississippi along with nieces Anne Ray and Michelle O’Brien and countless adoring friends and family. Grandpa Jack was loved and will be deeply missed by his 14 grandchildren: Brittany and Samantha O’Brien; Keanan, Devon and Mary Grace O’Brien; Jacqueline and Jacob O’Brien; Liam, Sean and Hannah Smith; Maeve, Desmond, Clare and Kathleen O’Reilly; and great-grandson Carson Youngs.
Jack’s family would like to acknowledge the superb support from the caregivers at VNA Hospice of Cape Cod, especially Susan Johnson.
Donations in Jack’s memory may be made to “VNA Respite Care” c/o the Cape Cod Health Foundation, P.O. Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Burial will be on Monday, August 14 at 1:45PM at the MA National Cemetery, Connery Ave., Bourne, MA.