James "Pat" O'Brien

James “Pat” O’Brien, 61, of Rockford and formerly of Belvidere, passed away Monday, March 28, 2016. Born August 20, 1954 in McHenry the son of Harry and Pauline O’Brien. Pat was a graduate of Belvidere High School and was a survivor of the Belvidere Tornado. He helped his father who owned and operated O’Brien-Dobbins Pharmacy in Belvidere and followed in his father’s footsteps finding an interest in being a pharmacist as well. He worked for various pharmaceutical agencies after leaving O’Brien-Dobbins such as Milestone, Rockford Memorial and Swedish American Hospitals and the U of I Pharmaceutical Program. On September 17, 1988 he married his loving wife, Lori Ann Parrovecchio in Las Vegas, NV and together they enjoyed life, family and friends. When not working, Pat displayed his distinguished talent as a drummer and played gigs all over the country. He was a fun loving, caring and kind man who will be deeply missed by all that had the chance to know him. The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to his many friends, especially, Dave Larson.
Survivors include his brothers, Mike O’Brien of Phoenix, AZ and Harry Jr. (Peggy) O’Brien of Elkhorn, WI; sisters-in-law, Annette (Ed Wolf) Jurgenson and Gina (Ed) Hasenyager both of Rockford; nieces, Cicely (Rob) Combs, Kim (Mark) Binder; nephews, Nathan Jurgenson and Riley and Jack O’Brien; great nephews, Riley and Tony; great niece, Mabel Ann. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Lori on August 8, 2013 and their faithful K9 companions, Buddy and Gromit.
A time of remembrance will be held on Monday, April 4, 2016 at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home and Crematory, Riverside Chapel 3910 N. Rockton Ave. Visitation will be from 4 - 7 p.m. Inurnment will be held privately at a later date. Memorials to the family. Express online condolences at www.fitzgeraldfh.com