VISITATION & FUNERAL MASS
Thursday, August 20, 2026
at
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
12700 W. Howard Avenue – New Berlin

Visitation: 9:30AM – 11:00 AM
Funeral Mass: 11:00 AM

Interment: Holy Sepulcher Cemetery 2:45 PM (meet at cemetery)

MEMORIALS
Memorials are suggested in lieu of flowers to either:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
To donate online, please click on the link below:

Online Donations – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

or

The Charity of Your Choice

Chuck O’Brien

Charles “Chuck” O’Brien, age 79, passed away on August 12, 2026 at the Elizabeth Residence. Chuck was born on June 4, 1947 and grew up on Rawson Avenue in South Milwaukee, the only child of Charles and Maxine O’Brien. On August 21, 1971, he married the love of his life, Patricia Suchomel, in Sun Prairie. Together, they shared nearly 55 years of marriage.

Chuck graduated from Northland College, earning a degree in physical education. He then spent 33 years teaching in the Oak Creek School District, a career that reflected his lifelong connection to young people, education and athletics. Chuck felt fortunate that his passion for sports became his career. He often said, “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Beyond the classroom, he officiated high school basketball and football games. He prided himself on hustling up and down the basketball court, whistle ready to blow. Off the court, golf was Chuck’s enduring passion. He could be found “in the backyard” putting on the greens in Arizona well into his retirement and remained an accomplished golfer into his 70s when he could still proudly “golf his age.”

Being present for his grandchildren mattered to Chuck. He loved watching his grandchildren pursue the things they loved and rarely let distance keep him from being there. Traveling to Germantown, Kentucky, and New York, he could easily be heard cheering and applauding his grandchildren. Every phone call with them had him asking, “When’s your next game?” He loved to hear his grandkids telling him about the goals made, buckets scored, and runs batted in. Going to their performances as well put a big smile on his face.

Chuck and Pat loved seeing the world together. Over the years, they traveled to China, the Panama Canal, Prague to Paris, Amsterdam to Budapest, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, Alaska, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, the Carribean, Spain, Montecarlo, Italy and Sicily and cruised the five Great Lakes. They embraced this travel time together, creating a lifetime of memories and stories.

Chuck never met a stranger. He genuinely enjoyed talking with people wherever he went and had a way of making a connection, whether through a conversation, a compliment, a favorite story or one of his tried-and-true-jokes. Those who knew him well may have heard some of those stories and jokes more than once, but Chuck was always happy to tell them one more time. His warmth, humor, and instinct for making others feel noticed were a part of his charm.
Chuck is survived by his loving wife, Pat; his sons, Tim (Brenda) O’Brien of Germantown and Dan (Alysha) O’Brien of Kentucky; his daughter, Katy (John) Lough of New York; his grandchildren, Avery O’Brien; Jack, Anna, and Nora Lough; Ann Bayless and Gray O’Brien; sisters-in-law Nancy Suchomel, Carol LaMere, and Jan Suchomel. He is further survived by other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers-in-law Tom Suchomel, Gene Suchomel, and Ed LaMere; and other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 12700 W Howard Ave, New Berlin on Thursday, August 20th at 11:00am with Father Joy Thachil officiating. Family and friends will greet visitors at church on the 20th from 9:30am until the time of service. In lieu
of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or a charity of your choosing.

The family would like to thank the staff at Elizabeth Residence and Badger Hospice for their care and compassion.

Note: This obituary is the property of Heritage Funeral Homes and is published here with permission from the family. If you are viewing it on any website other than www.heritagefuneral.com, please be aware it has been copied without consent and may not reflect the most accurate or complete information.