James William O'Brien, 85, lifelong resident of Malden, Massachusetts, passed away on June 4th, 2024, at his residence surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer.  He was born on August 7, 1938, in Malden, MA.

Jim will be dearly missed and is survived by his daughters: Marilyn Knowlton of Wakefield, MA; Brenda O'Brien of Malden, MA; Kathleen O'Brien of Freeport, ME; his long-time companion, Elaine Gadon of Winthrop, MA; two nieces a nephew and two grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Claire (Enos) O'Brien; father, John Francis O'Brien; sister, Janet Kane; and brother, John (Jack) O'Brien.

James, also known as "Jim," was a local proprietor of O'Brien's Florist & Greenhouse established in 1926 by his great grandparents Catherine & William O'Brien.  Jim was a devoted mechanic for the MBTA for many years prior to taking early retirement to run the florist full time working alongside his daughter Brenda and family, serving many longtime patrons.   He served in the Army from 1961 to 1962.   He attended Linden Elementary and Malden Vocational Tech.

Jim enjoyed spending time with his family and working at the Florist.  He was an avid sports fan and loved football and the Red Sox.  He would often spend Friday nights attending local high school football games. Jim enjoyed traveling and spending time in Florida.  He was often the "token male" on most of the senior trips he traveled on with his long-time companion, Elaine.  In his younger days he enjoyed horseback riding, boating, water skiing, downhill skiing and snowmobiling.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend visiting hours on Monday, June 10th, from 4:00-7:00 PM at the J F Ward Funeral Home, 772 Broadway, Everett.  Jim's funeral will be held on Tuesday, June 11th from the funeral home at 10 am, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary of The Assumption Church, 670 Washington Ave, Revere, at 11 AM. Services will conclude with military honors and burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

In Jim's memory, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society @

www.donate.cancer.org