Ms. O' Brien spent her life serving others. She was a longtime member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church and her love for God and deep faith were evident in every area of her life. She was humble in her pursuits, poised and extremely talented and creative.
Ms, O'Brien was born in Birmingham, AL on April 10, 1946 to Aubrey and Eleanor O'Brien. After graduating from Banks High School in 1964, she went on to study and graduate from the University of Alabama in 1969. Later during her career, she obtained a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham.
After Ms. O'Brien obtained her undergraduate degree, she worked as an Administrative Assistant for Dr. Arnold G. Diethelm, the Director of the Division of Transplantation in the Department of Surgery and then transferred to work as an Administrative Assistant for Dr. John D. Kirklin, Chairman of the Department of Surgery. She was responsible for many administrative duties including editing medical journal articles and medical books.
After her tenure at UAB, Ms, O'Brien continued her career at Oxmoor House which she created and was the editor for the "Great American Quilts Series 1987-1993" and she also compiled and edited other books at Oxmoor House.
Following Ms. O'Brien's successful career in education and publishing and after obtaining her MBA from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, in 1995 she joined the administrative staff as Assistant to the President at Samford University.
During this time, she worked for two presidents - Dr. Thomas E. Corts for 12 years and Dr. Andrew Westmoreland for 10 years. She supervised the production and editing of several important publications of Samford University as well as books by Dr. Thomas E. Corts. She provided effective administrative support to the Board of Trustees. When she retired in September of 2016 she was given special recognition by the Board of Trustees for her service as Assistant to the President and her role in extending the Kingdom of God through supporting and extending the mission of Samford University in higher education.
Ms. O'Brien was preceded in death by her parents, Aubrey and Eleanor O'Brien and her brother, Aubrey "Dennis" O'Brien, Jr. She is survived by her niece, Amy O'Brien Mascali (David) of Nashville, TN and Ted O'Brien (Chelsea) of Snowmass, CO and many dear friends.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am with a service to follow at Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham. Burial will immediately follow in the adjoining cemetery.
Pastor Jim Alexander of Briarwood Presbyterian Church will officiate the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to Children's of Alabama to support the NICU in memory of Sandra L. O'Brien to: Children's of Alabama Foundation, 1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL. 35233 or visit www.childrensal.org/donate.
" The Lord is my strength and shield and my heart trust in him." Psalms 28:6-7
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