William O’Brien, 76

William “Michael” O’Brien, age 76, of Geneva, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 17, 2023. He was surrounded by his family at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 3:00 p.m., the hour of Divine Mercy, on Thursday, December 21, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ackley, with burial in the church cemetery. There will be a visitation on Wednesday from 4:00-5:30 p.m., with a Rosary Service at 5:30 p.m. at the Sietsema Funeral Home in Ackley. Memorials may be directed to St. Marys Catholic Church in Ackley, Iowa.

William “Michael” O’Brien was born on May 26, 1947, in Hampton, Iowa, to William and Kathleen (Thines) O’Brien. Michael graduated from Ackley-Geneva High School and the University of Iowa. On July 1, 1972, Michael was united in marriage to Mary Kreimeyer at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Ackley, Iowa.

Michael was a farmer on the O’Brien family farm right up to the end. He chose not to retire, because he wanted to keep doing what he loved doing. He farmed first with his father Bill, and later with his son Matthew. He was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Geneva until it closed and then St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ackley. He was also a lifelong member of the Franklin County Democrats.

Michael is survived by daughter Kelly O’Brien of Maplewood, MN; daughter Jill (Rudy) Acevedo of San Antonio, TX, and their children Joshua, Evie, and Nora; son John O’Brien of Ames; son Matthew O’Brien of Geneva; sister Mary Pat Cole of Apple Valley, MN and her son Tom (Laurie) Gilles; sister-in-law Marianne O’Brien and her children Micki O’Brien and Danielle (Fred) Burton; sister-in-law Charleen (Robert) Richtsmeier of Ackley and their children Renee Evans, Dawn (Bob) Jones-Erdman, and Aaron (Anne) Jones; sister-in-law Kathy (William) Nolte of Dumont and their children Angela Nolte, Henry Nolte, Abby Wise, and Katelyn (Carson) Hemphill; and many cousins, great nieces and nephews, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife Mary; his parents William and Kathleen; his sister Kathleen; his brother Colonel Maurice O’Brien; his brother-in-law Gene Cole; his uncle Monsignor Roger O’Brien; his aunt Mary Dugan; his aunt Eleanor Gray; his mother and father-in-law Charles and Sylvia Kreimeyer; and his brother-in-law Randy Kreimeyer.