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Terrance Edward O’Brien (‘Terry’)

Terrance Edward O’Brien (“Terry”) of Marietta passed away Saturday April 8, following a brief illness. He was born in 1940 in Zanesville, Ohio, and was a graduate of Williamstown High School. Terry spent his adult years living and working in Marietta, and for the last 40 years was a proud local business owner. He built his career in the bulk packaging business, developing customers throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, and in recent years he was the owner of Mar-Pak. His office was a second home to him, and his trips to the office along with his devotion to his wife, are what kept him going in the last several years of his life. Many employees worked for Terry for decades, and he came to know their spouses, children, and parents, and through his company paid tuition for employees attending college. If anyone came to him with a request to support their charity, sponsor a baseball team, buy popcorn, or buy a market animal at the Washington County Fair, he asked how much they needed, and he willingly donated. He helped anyone who asked, especially school children.

Other than work, Terry’s interests were golf, tennis in his earlier years, cars, animals, and family. His favorite days were spent playing golf with his regular group of friends at the Marietta Country Club, and driving his Lexus around town, where he would run errands and catch up with people he knew at each stop along the way. Terry also loved to hear his granddaughter Natalie play the piano.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Dorothy O’Brien of Williamstown, WV. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Janet, daughter Julie Bacome (Edward) and granddaughter Natalie Bacome of Dublin, sister Linda Sue O’Brien (“Susie”) (Sandy) of Huber Heights, and his beloved office family at Mar-Pak, all of whom will miss him very much. Terry had many friends who were near and dear to him, but a much-deserved special thank you from his family goes to his second daughter Dr. Kelli Cawley, and her family, for their thoughtful and caring support, his office daughter Michelle Secrest and her husband J.D., and his office sons, Chuck Watt, his wife Lori, and Jim Wagner, his wife Glena, all of whom devoted much time, care and attention to Terry. There will be a Celebration of Life on Thursday, April 13 from 3-5 p.m. at the Marietta Country Club, where all who knew and loved him are welcome to attend and share stories and photographs of Terry’s life. There will be a private burial. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Terry’s honor to the Humane Society of Ohio Valley, 90 Mount Tom Road, Marietta, OH.