Cover photo for Donnie Ray O'Brien's Obituary
Donnie Ray O'Brien Profile Photo
In Memory Of
Donnie Ray O'Brien
1938 2023

Donnie Ray O'Brien

December 19, 1938 — May 31, 2023

Donald Ray "Donnie" O'Brien, 84, of Topeka, passed away Wednesday, May 31, 2023.

He was born December 19, 1938, in Overbrook, Kansas, the son of Andrew and Thelma (Snethen) O'Brien.

He graduated from Overbrook High School in 1956. He continued his education at VoTech, studying Mechanics.

Donnie worked for Wildcat Concrete Services where he was the Bridge Superintendent until his retirement.

He was a hands on type of guy. If there was something that needed fixed, he'd fixed it. Especially when it came to classic cars. You would find him restoring all sorts of cars; from his El Camino to other vehicles he would come across. His 1958 Chevy Impala, which he bought brand new was one of his prized possessions. His baby though, was his 1984 Chevy Corvette. He also enjoyed drag racing in his spare time where he won several first place trophies.

Donnie was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church since the 1970s.

He was completely devoted to his family. His family meant the world to him. He was known in the neighborhood as Grandpa Don. He enjoyed his dogs and liked to walk them whenever he could. He loved working with kids when he could and even coached baseball from T-Ball on up.

Donald married the love of his life Charlotte Ann Gainer on October 29, 1960 in Overbrook at the Overbrook Methodist Church, she survives of the home. Other survivors include his children, Patsy Frison and Shawn (Kristin) O'Brien; grandchildren, Robert (Steph) Frison, Conner (Megan) O'Brien, Riley O'Brien, and one great grandson, Sage O'Brien.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Jerry O'Brien and Wayne O'Brien and his sister Wilma Kramer.

Funeral Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at Trinity Lutheran Church 725 SW Buchanan St, Topeka, KS 66606. The family will greet friends an hour prior to the service. Burial will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery in Topeka, KS.

Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church 725 SW Buchanan St, Topeka, KS 66606 or to Helping Hands Humane Society 5720 SW 21st, Topeka, KS 66604-3720.

To leave a message for his family online, please visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Donnie Ray O'Brien, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

9:00 - 10:00 am (Central time)

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Service

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Starts at 10:00 am (Central time)

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Interment

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Visits: 4

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree