A World War II veteran who spent more than 40 years working for Allstate Insurance Co., William L. O’Brien, 78, never really wanted to retire. Up until three months ago, he was still making weekly treks to have lunch with friends at the company. “He was very gregarious when he was working with all of his chums,” said his wife, Joan. Mr. O’Brien died of leukemia Monday, Dec. 8, in his Inverness home. Born in Chicago, he grew up on the South Side, graduating from De La Salle High School in 1943. He spent the next two years in the Army Air Forces, serving primarily in Burma, his wife said. After the war he returned to Chicago and received a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in 1949. He started working as an agent for Allstate in a South Side office. He and his wife married in 1965. The couple spent two years in Kansas City, and another in Cleveland, with Mr. O’Brien promoted to district sales manager at Allstate. The company transferred him back to the Chicago area in the late 1960s. Mr. O’Brien retired from Allstate in the mid-1990s. Mr. O’Brien liked reading about the stock market and tending to his yard. “He sulked when it wasn’t summer,” his wife said. Other survivors include three sons, William L. Jr., Edward and Anthony; four daughters, Patricia Adamovic, Mary Frances, Joan Margaret and Janine Marie; a sister, Catherine Ward; and nine grandchildren. Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Anne Catholic Church, 120 N. Ela St., Barrington. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. in the church.
