Patrick J. O’Brien, 83, former chief operating officer and chairman of the board of E.R. Moore Co. in Niles, died Sunday, June 18, in Evanston Hospital of complications from heart surgery. The son of Irish immigrants, Mr. O’Brien had to work to support his family while he attended Fordham University, especially after his father died. Before he could graduate, World War II broke out, taking him to a New Hampshire boot camp where he helped train troops for four years and attained the rank of captain. He returned to Fordham at war’s end and got his bachelor’s degree in 1946. Mr. O’Brien later received a master’s degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., and moved to Chicago, where he worked for the graduation cap and gown manufacturer for more than 30 years. “He was a very intelligent, hard-working man. He taught us all to persevere,” said his son Timothy. “But he also had a heart of charity.” After retiring from E.R. Moore, he spent 20 years volunteering at youth job programs, food shelters and the Chicago Food Depository. Other survivors include another son, Gerard; a daughter, Deirdre Knight; a brother, Robert; a sister, Eileen O’Sullivan; and seven grandchildren. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1747 Lake Ave., Wilmette.
