Chamber News Feed: Morris County, NJ: (ST. MICHAELS, MD) James K. O’Brien, a former Morris County, NJ Freeholder and a businessman whose tragic personal experience with violent crime inspired him to become a leading advocate for victims, died at a Maryland hospital Dec. 26, 2014, according to a media report. O’Brien, who was 84, and his wife Georgia helped found Deidre’s House — formerly the Deidre O’Brien Child Advocacy Center — in 1996. The Morristown facility assists child victims of violence and witnesses to domestic abuse. O’Brien was asked to found the center in part due to his work on behalf of crime victims and their families, a cause the entrepreneur and Korean War veteran embraced following the murder of his daughter, Deidre, in 1982. Her killer, who was also charged with the murder of 18-year-old Amie Hoffman a few days earlier, is serving life in prison. A decade after his daughter’s murder, a crime victims rights amendment to the state Constitution, which O’Brien helped write and advocated for, was approved by voters. He would also serve on the state Victims Rights Compensation Board until 2001, when he moved to Maryland. He continued his volunteer work in that state, serving on the board of a local child advocacy center and on the boards of other community groups. A freeholder from 1993 to 1998, he is survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren. Mourners can send donations to Deidre’s House, 8 Court St., Morristown, NJ. Your Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce Works for You!
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 11:10:00 +0000
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