Peter Michael O’Brien

June 22, 1979 - March 15, 2020

Peter Michael O’Brien passed away on March 15, 2020 after an inconceivable and quick illness.  To prove how Irish he really was, Peter hung around in the ICU until after midnight on St Patrick’s Day when the incredible transplant team at Health Park hospital and LifeLink helped him to share the gift of life.  Peter was 40 years old and had been showered with love in the days that preceded his passing.

He was born in Detroit, Michigan June 22, 1979 to Philip and Carol (Beltz) O’Brien and grew up in St. Clair Shores, however he made sure to tell anyone and everyone that he was from Detroit and loved all things Detroit.  He was a proud son of South Lake High School where he made everyone laugh, including teachers; skipped classes and got caught by his parents, and learned that he loved to be the center of attention. He developed friendships with a group of people at South Lake that stayed strong for over 25+ years and Peter was there for every wedding, many kids’ first birthdays, and wanted to get on a plane no matter the cost for any sickness or funeral that impacted those friends.

After high school he found his calling in the restaurant industry and shined as a server, bartender and sometime manager. He brightened up every table he served and made friends with regulars and coworkers alike. In Michigan he lit up the world at Waves and Fishbones and in Florida he entertained the customers at CinCin, Bubble Room, Doc Ford’s, George & Wendy’s, and Blue Giraffe. He even lived everyone’s dream of being a snowbird in his 30s when he spent a summer at Atwater Brewing in Grosse Pointe and returned to Cape Coral in September.

Peter did something that most adults struggle to do – find real, honest lasting friendships after high school. He not only made friends in Florida as an adult but he created an entire family of people in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. He would spend Christmas morning with his nieces, eat an early dinner with his parents and then return to a friends for dinner; Thanksgivings were a marathon of food and celebration with as many people as possible, and birthdays never passed without a call, text or hug from Peter.

He was not a surface level friend but was someone that genuinely connected with everyone he met.  The friends he brought into his family were as close as if they were blood and he genuinely loved everyone he befriended.  To know Peter was to know generosity at its true core and to be loved by Pete was to feel love and warmth in its truest sense.  The world is a darker place without him in it.

He is survived by all that knew him and loved him but especially his parents Philip and Carol (Beltz) O’Brien; his sister and brother in law Emily (O’Brien) and Robert Iafrate and beloved nephew Lucas; special lady friend Kayla Elizabeth McCurry; best friends Rusty and Diana Kassley and their girls Kaylee, Sabriel, Eliana and Henley; Nick and Amber Samra; Joey and Laura Harris, Dan and Stephanie Shouse, Kelli and Scott Gersch and their brood of children Caden, Adalyn, Olivia, Emma and Payton; and too many more friends and family members to name.

We will be hosting celebration of life parties in Fort Myers and St Clair Shores sometime this Spring or Summer. In the meantime, please post your photos to www.yogile.com/petermichaelobrien and continue to share stories on his Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, please visit The Blue Giraffe and mention that you loved Peter; sign up as an organ donor; overtip your servers and bartenders; buy a random person a beer and a shot; support and fight for universal healthcare; vote; and donate to any organization that helps make the world a better place. 

“When you have more than you need, build a longer table not a higher wall”

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.

Guestbook

  1. Emily Mar 18, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    I love you Pete!

  2. Jay Mason Mar 18, 2020 at 2:42 pm

    What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul. And the suggestions of how to honor him are so perfect. Holiday late nights and football Sundays at the Kassly’s will never be the same.
    I love you, Pete! This hurts so much, but the world is a better place because of you

  3. Tonya Mar 18, 2020 at 2:42 pm

    Beautiful words for a beautiful human. Thank you, Mullins Memorial.

  4. Emily Mar 18, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    One of my favorites

  5. Ginny Wagner Mar 18, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    He had me at Hello with his incredible laugh, and watching his eyes dance. Made me feel relaxed and happy. Sooo happy he shared his love with my friend Kayla.
    Because of you Peter, I now am an organ donor!! Thanks for enlightening me. Fly high and your beat goes on

  6. Peggy sousa Mar 18, 2020 at 5:13 pm

    I’m so very sad for parents and loved ones who will miss him… He was a wonderful guy.. May the light of the lord shine upon you all and give you peace…Your cuz Peg

  7. Emily Mar 18, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    Pete and Lucas 💕

  8. Carla Markle Mar 18, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    I did not have the pleasure of knowing Peter, but I felt the pain to my core when his “Florida” family crashed when he passed. Looking from the outside in,, I feel he was one of Gods messengers showing people how to put people first and love whole heartily. A guardian angel he is. Love Always, Mamma Markle

  9. Matt Kilcline Mar 18, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    Oh, Emily. I’m so sorry to hear about this. I wish you strength in an impossible time. This is well written and I can tell you did it. Please let me know the next time you make it up to Rhode Island.

  10. Chris Mar 19, 2020 at 9:31 am

    🍻 cheers buddy until we meet again

  11. Nichole (Lawrence) Hayes Mar 19, 2020 at 11:03 am

    Absolutely beautiful words! I send my condolences for you and all of your family in Florida and here in Michigan. As soon as the bars open back up I will make sure to buy a stranger a beer and shot in honor of your brother. God bless you all. Stay safe.

  12. Carolyn Korte Mar 19, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    The Kortes love you Pete. Our sincerest condolences to Pete’s family and loved ones.

  13. Geoffrey and Flavia Letendre Mar 19, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    We love you Pete!

  14. Eleanor Owen-Reich Mar 21, 2020 at 11:06 am

    You always made me laugh Pete such an amazing person always looking to make everyone happy…Love ya Petey ❤

  15. Shannon Mar 21, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Pete you are and will forever be one of my best reasons I lived in Florida! Miss you my buddy.

  16. Phil Dyer Mar 22, 2020 at 7:34 am

    Pete,
    Jess and I love you very much and miss you. Thank you for all of the laughs and good times you blessed us with. You are a true beautiful soul. Love you brother

  17. John Hoffmann Mar 24, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    To Phil, Carol, Emily, Robert & Lucas
    What a joy to have had a son, brother, brother in-law and uncle the caliber of Peter in your life. One in a million. Peter was able to light up a room with his infectious smile and robust laughter. A truly gentle soul.
    To have a light that shined so bright taken so soon and so suddenly is devastating beyond comprehension. No words can ease your sorrow, only know our hearts are with you.
    Shine on Peter
    Love Cousin John & Patti

  18. Judy Mar 27, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    Peter, you were the happiest person I have ever known. You enriched the lives of so many with your joy of life, your wit and your love. The world now has a void in it that can never be filled and an emptiness in so many hearts. You will never be forgotten.
    Love, Judy

  19. Sandy and Chuck Mar 30, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    Phil and Carol – thinking of you as you mourn someone so special. Hoping with time a peace will return to your lives.

  20. Sandy Myrand Apr 16, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    Dear Carol and Phil,
    I was so sorry to learn of Peter’s
    Passing. It is a pain no parent should have to endure. His smile and the joy he brought to your lives is a Tribute to you both and the love you gave him. May the love of your and his many friends and family bring you solace.
    Prayers,
    Sandy Myrand

  21. Maribeth Keller Greenway Apr 27, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    I’m sorry I never got to meet you but I do know some of your Florida family and I see how much you meant to them. May you get to heaven before the devil knows you’re dead

  22. Carol O'Brien May 6, 2020 at 1:52 am

    Thank you all for your comments and condolences it is most Appreciated.

Leave a Reply to Carolyn Korte