Theresa O’Brien

Theresa Jean O’Brien was born June 2, 1946, in Pittsburg, Kansas. She was the firstborn child of Louis and Nell Jean Rogers. At the age of six, Louis passed away. A few years later Theresa’s stepfather Earl Mohney entered her life. Theresa grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the eldest of four children. In 1964 she graduated from Gull Lake Public Schools. Following graduation, she attended Parson’s Business School. During this time, she met the first love of her life, Lawrence Long. Lawrence and Theresa married in May 1966 at Sunnyside Methodist Church in Kalamazoo. Shortly after they married, they built a home in Portage, Michigan where they raised their three children. In addition to being a devoted mother and wife, Theresa worked part-time, continued her education, and became a licensed cosmetologist. She enjoyed working for many years at Professional Hair Design. Sadly, Lawrence passed away in 1999.
Theresa was lucky for the second time in her life to have found another wonderful man with whom to spend her remaining years. In 2004 she wed Danny O’Brien in Las Vegas, Nevada. Theresa and Danny spent their first ten years living a peaceful, quiet life in Walkerville, Michigan, but then moved to Charlotte, Michigan in 2016 to be closer to family and friends.
Theresa passed away peacefully at home on March 23, 2022, after bravely battling cancer for many years.
Theresa was blessed with many close friends, each one of them as dear to her as her family. She knew how to love deeply, laugh often, and lend a helping hand or listening ear if needed. She was fortunate to be able to spend a vast amount of time with her family and friends, traveling, bowling, golfing, and trying her luck at the casino. If you knew Theresa, you knew that one of her greatest traits was her sense of humor. Theresa had a sweet spirit and was just plain fun.
Theresa enjoyed cooking, especially desserts. She loved eating them and sharing even more. Theresa also had a special talent for sewing and knitting. She made many of her children’s clothes, Halloween costumes, quilts, Christmas tree skirts and stuffed animals. For the last several years of her life, she found solace in making stuffed animals to give to the local preschool children and knitting beautiful Christmas stockings which she enjoyed giving away as a gesture of kindness or in thanks for the many people who helped her with her health struggles.
Theresa was preceded in death by her first husband, Lawrence; and her parents, Louis Rogers, Nell Jean, and Earl Mohney. She is survived by her loving husband, Danny O’Brien; three brothers, Richard (Marcia) Rogers, Doug (June) Rogers and Steven (Kelly) Mohney; her two stepsisters, Diana (Frank) Hill, Marilyn (Bill) Dolan; her three children, Christine (Jim) Sonnevil, Carol (Matt) LaLonde and Greg (Shannon) Long; her stepson, Kyle O’Brien; six grandchildren, Zachary (Alyssa), Andrew and Joseph Sonnevil, Anna and Evan LaLonde, Becca (Adam) Boeving; two great-grandchildren, Addison and Cal; and several nieces and nephews.
Theresa’s family welcomes family and friends to join them in a celebration of her life from 3-6 p.m. on April 29, 2022, at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Burial & Cremation Services, 3926 South 9th Street, Kalamazoo MI 49009. A prayer and tribute to Theresa’s life will be made at 4:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy or St. Jude Children’s Hospital. To view Theresa’s personalized web page, please visit www.langelands.com.