John Francis O'Brien

John Francis O’Brien of Deer River passed away in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his family, on April 18, 2026 at the age of 76.

John was born in Mitchell, South Dakota on January 1, 1950 to Merlin and Shirley O’Brien.  He was raised in Minneapolis where he graduated from Patrick Henry High in 1968.

He met the love of his life, Linda, when he moved to Deer River.  They were married on September 2, 1978 and settled in to raise their children, Julie and Joel. They were married for 48 years.

John was very active in his community. He spent many years managing the Deer River Co-Op Credit Union until his retirement in 2012.  He was a member of the Deer River Fire Department where he met life-long friends.  He was also active on the Deer River Ambulance Crew for several years as well as serving on the City Council and having the honor of being Mayor of Deer River for 8 years.  He was heavily involved with the Sportsman’s Club and especially loved teaching the area youth about firearm safety.

John enjoyed fishing, hunting, cooking, traveling with Linda and spending time with his grandkids. He found great joy in golfing and bowling over the years on leagues with his buddies and spent many weekends on hunting trips with those buddies.

The gentle and loving care John received during his time at Essentia in Duluth, and with his hospice team at home, was invaluable and will always be thought of with gratitude. There aren’t enough words to express what that care meant to his family.

John is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Julie (David) Law; son, Joel (Chris Garza) O’Brien; grandsons, Henry and Oliver Law; brother, Richard (Wendy) O’Brien; Goddaughter and niece, Rose (Amir) Abdou; great-nephew, Kai; Holly (Bruce) Baird and many special brothers- and sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Merlin and Shirley O’Brien.

He is loved and he will be missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday June 20th at 4:00 P.M. at the Deer River Vets club.

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