Kim O'Brien Obituary

Kim O'Brien age 65 of Ridgeway, IA passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at her home surrounded by her family, after a valiant battle with cancer.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Decorah with Rev. Henry Huber presiding. Burial will be in St. Benedict Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at Helms Funeral Home, 306 East Water Street in Decorah. There will be no visitation prior to the service on Wednesday, attendees are invited to come in and please be seated.
In Lieu of flowers: Memorials may be made to the family. A donation will be made to a charity of their choice.
Kim was born in Cresco, IA, on March 26, 1959, daughter of Ronald and JoAnne (Kala) Anderson. The blizzards were coming regularly, and her dad had to keep the long driveway shoveled so they might make it to the hospital when the time came. Kim was baptized and confirmed at Jerico Lutheran Church. She grew up on the family farm near Jerico, spending summers learning the art of driving the hay bailer, shearing many a pin. Many happy memories were made with her brothers and sisters, spending overnights at Papa and Grandmas, and swimming in the Little Turkey River.
At age 14, Kim met her future husband, Dan O'Brien, at a Protivin Wedding Dance. She graduated from New Hampton High School in 1977. She and Dan married on August 20, 1977. To this union came three daughters: Rochelle, Jill, and Kara. In 1985, Kim and Dan settled into a home they built together in Ridgeway, Iowa.
Kim worked several jobs before a 25-year career in the bakery of Luther College, mastering the art of bagel making. She retired in 2023. Outside of work, Kim enjoyed a full social calendar, including 40 years playing 500 with the Ridgeway Card Club, chaperoning the annual O'Brien Girls New Year's Eve Extravaganza and other social events (keeping her daughters out of trouble), and attending the many music and sporting events for her children and grandchildren.
Kim and Dan become empty nesters at a young age. They crisscrossed the United States and made several trips across the Atlantic to destinations like the Holy Land, Rome, and several countries in Europe. She found great joy in serving others, volunteering through Habitat for Humanity, various Church activities, and being heavily involved in Dan's deacon formation and deacon role. Kim was a woman of great faith. She had a quick wit and was known for her quirky sayings, never losing her humor through the many health issues she faced over the years.
She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Dan O'Brien; her daughters Rochelle (Jason) Markov of Rochester, MN, Jill Grubbs of Oshkosh, WI, Kara (Chuck) Crain of Decorah, IA; grandchildren Noah and Samuel Grubbs, Thomas, Evelyn, and Francis Crain; brother Gene (Susie) Anderson, sisters Tracy Anderson and Shirley (Dean) Hubka, and many beloved in-laws and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Joe Alden, brother Mark Anderson, her mother and father in-law Ambrose and Irene O'Brien, and her brother-in-law Mike O'Brien.
The O'Brien family wishes to extend their sincerest thanks and gratitude to WinnMed and WinnMed Hospice, and the Gunderson Oncology Department. They will always be grateful for the outpouring of support from countless family, friends, and the greater faith community during Kim's 10-month battle with small cell lung cancer.