Alice A. O'Brien

Alice A. O'Brien, 101, passed away peacefully Saturday evening, March 10, 2012 at Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center, Albany, NY.
Alice, the fourth of nine children, was born March 5, 1911, in Buffalo NY to John O'Brien and Margaret Murphy O'Brien. She was raised in the First Ward and South Buffalo and attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Teresa's and South Park High. She earned a Teaching Degree from University of Buffalo in 1932, a Teaching Certificate from Columbia Univ. (program in the South that introduced non-segregation standard for educating teachers); a B.S. from University of Buffalo in 1947; M.A. from University of VA and a Professional Diploma from Columbia University in 1954. She was elected to Kappa Delta Pi sorority. With few full-time teaching jobs in Buffalo in 1932, Alice moved to Norfolk VA where her brother Bill was a Captain in the Navy. She taught elementary school in the Norfolk for many years. In 1953, Alice moved to NYC to continue her education at Columbia University. While there, Alice was hired by the United States Army to teach children of the Army and Embassy in Bonn, Berlin, and Karlsruhe, Germany, where she taught for 11 years. Upon her return to the U.S., Alice was hired by the Ossining School District in Westchester County where she continued to teach until her retirement at age 68. While teaching in Ossining, Alice received a grant from the school district and Syracuse University to study African culture at the University of Nairobi in Kenya in conjunction with the integration of Westchester Elementary Schools.
Alice is predeceased by her parents, John O'Brien and Margaret Murphy O'Brien; her siblings, her sister-in-law and brothers-in-law, Captain William (Helen) O'Brien, Margaret (Guilford) Williams, Mary (William) Fox, Helen (William) Vogt, Elizabeth (Russ) Fulcher, Anastasia (Peter) Loveless, Kathleen (John) Fridman and Regina T. O'Brien, Ph.D. Alice is predeceased by nieces and nephews, James Williams, Margaret Whalen, Wm J. Fox, James Fox, Don Fox, Dan Fulcher, Pat Kaplan. She is survived by nieces and nephews, Captain Timothy O'Brien, Captain Michael O'Brien, William O'Brien, Dan O'Brien, Ph.D., Gerald Williams, Mary Lou Williams Woelfel, Robert Fox, Richard Fox, Albert Fox, William Vogt, Nan Vogt Jessberger, Gene Fulcher, Jack Fulcher, Nancy Fridman Rizzo, Peter Fridman, Kevin Fridman, John Fridman, and Jeffrey Fridman.
Alice lived at the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center for four years. She enjoyed and appreciated the kindness and caring of many staff. She especially liked Happy Hour.
Following Alice's wishes, there will be no public memorial. Memorial contributions can be made to South Buffalo Community Table, the Buffalo City Mission, or to your local food bank or protection of marine or wild life.