Retired Fire Chief of NRFD was labor leader and advocate for firefighters
ANDOVER — Edward A. O’Brien, 66, of Andover and formerly of North Reading, passed away unexpectedly on January 8, 2023, with his wife and children by his side. He was a retired Fire Chief of the North Reading Fire Department.
Ed is survived by his wife, Stacey, his son, Sean O’Brien and his fiancé Kate Maguire, his daughter, Hilary Pennacchio and her husband Michael, and his brother, William O’Brien and his wife Brigitta O’Brien. He was predeceased by his brother, Nelson P. O’Brien, and his sister, Gaye O’Brien. He was the son of Nelson O’Brien and Mildred Messenger.
Ed was born in Bangor, Maine, on July 9, 1956, and moved to North Reading as a young child. Ed graduated from the North Reading High School in 1974 and completed his education with a B.S. in Fire
Science and Protection from Salem State in 1991.
He was appointed to the North Reading Fire Department as a Call Firefighter in 1974, and appointed to the permanent department in 1977. He rose through the ranks, becoming a Captain in 1991 and then Chief of the Department in 1993 until his retirement in 2005.
He was a local labor leader in that time and was the President of North Reading Firefighters Local 1857 from 1980 until 1988. He was very proud of his service as the local president. He was a founding member of the Metro-Boston Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team, which provides peer assistance to first responders after traumatic events. He volunteered for the team for 20 years.
As part of the CISM team, Ed responded to the Worcester Cold Storage Fire on December 3, 1999 as well as the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Ed was a proud member of the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and the International Association of Firefighters. He was also a member of the National Ski Patrol.
In addition to his professional duties, Ed was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and surfing with his lifelong friend Vincent Vullo. He enjoyed spending time working on his home and spending time with his wife Stacey. He and Stacey had the opportunity to travel to many places in his retirement, in which time he also was the owner of Cambridge Used Bicycles, a popular bicycle store and
repair shop on McGrath Highway.
He was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in 2015, which is a rare neurological disorder of
the brain.
Visitation and memorial service will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Tuesday, January 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to: CurePSP, 1216 Broadway, FL 2, New York, NY, 10001.
