The death of Jimmy O’Brien following a heroic battle against cancer, brings to an end the life of a retired Chelsea police detective and is very sad news to all of us who knew him as he was a good guy and a police officer who never got caught up in the public corruption scandal here that took so many others down and led the city into receivership.
O’Brien was always his own man – a mild mannered, low key, easy to get along with police detective who was an all Chelsea kind of guy until he moved away to Saugus many years ago.
He was born and brought up here. He came to adulthood here.
He spent his entire adult lifetime here.
He served 41 years with the Chelsea Police Department. He retired in 2008.
O’Brien knew this city in every one of its incarnations over the decades since he was a young man
He knew everything about this place and he loved it.
We lament the passing of Jimmy O’Brien
Our condolences to his family and especially to his brother John, whom we know so well.