HAMPSTEAD — Kenan O’Brien of Hampstead, NC passed away on March 20th; he was 90 years old, a successful businessman and patriarch of a large family that held him in the highest esteem. His family and friends often said he was a toasted marshmallow – crusty on the outside, gooey on the inside.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 7th, 1933, Kenan mostly grew up south of Buffalo in Hamburg, New York, where he became a local celebrity as the star quarterback of his high-school football team. He was offered a full athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, but he was hoping for better weather and had been accepted at the University of Virginia and Duke University as well. One visit to the Duke campus, and Kenan’s decision was made.
The pre-med program Ken chose to pursue at Duke was daunting, and he began to consider other paths in life. He met his future wife, Avis “Betty” Simpson, who worked in the Duke bursar’s office, and ultimately decided to take a break from school to join the Air Force.
Ken’s Air Force career put him in the skies and all over the world. He and Betty married and their family grew across posts in Arkansas, Germany, and England.
After 15+ years of service to his country, Kenan retired from the Air Force and joined American Airlines in 1966. He loved flying and working for American Airlines. He quickly became captain flying Boeing 727s, a great plane he would say. The family settled in the Washington, DC suburb of Washington Grove, MD, but Kenan’s flight route meant he spent a significant amount of time in Dallas, Texas, where he found a new passion: Barbecue!
Kenan started a restaurant, O’Brien’s Pit Barbecue, in 1972. He was still a pilot, and now a business owner. He worked seven days a week and eventually grew O’Brien’s Pit Barbecue to three locations and a catering business. All four of his children and their mother, Betty, worked in the business over the years, and Washingtonian Magazine routinely listed O’Brien’s as one of the top barbecue restaurants in the DC area.
Although busy with his career and successful business, Kenan found time to travel with his family. Destinations included Africa, Japan, Ireland, England, Germany and China. New Zealand was one of his favorite places. After 20+ years in the captain’s seat, he reluctantly retired from American Airlines in 1993 when he turned 60. He would have kept on flying but back then FAA rules mandated pilots retire at age 60.
Ken loved reading about cowboys and history. He enjoyed listening to Willie Nelson and savoring a glass of single-malt scotch. He could fix anything (and had the collection of tools to do it!) and enjoyed cooking, gardening, fishing and hunting. He always found time to keep up with politics, the news and the stock market.
Over the course of his life, Ken built three houses – one in Washington Grove, another in Potomac, MD and his retirement house in Hampstead, NC, where he would live out his final years with his wife Carolyn and his beloved cat, Brodie, who passed last year. He enjoyed gardening and mowing the grass with his riding mower and admiring the beautiful view of the intercoastal waterway from his deck.
Ken’s top priority was always his family. He was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather. Described by his children as hardworking, smart, strong, and the true rock of the family, Kenan is survived by his wife of 29 years, Carolyn O’Brien; his sister Patricia Taylor; his daughter Mary O’Brien Miller and her husband Bill; his daughter Elizabeth O’Brien; his son Kenan O’Brien Jr.; his daughter Karen O’Brien Johnson and her husband Mark; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was their hero in so many ways.
May he rest in peace and fly with the angels…
Private services will be held. Please share your thoughts and memories of Ken in the guestbook.
