Education Fund
Donation protected
Todd O’Brien lived an incredibly adventurous, generous, and impactful life. His life was cut short on November 24th, 2020. Anyone who knew him knows that his light went out too soon. Todd was a dream maker. He lived a life following his own dreams and encouraging and supporting everyone he met to do the same. If you knew him, you loved him. He was a bright, bold, and beautiful soul. His presence will be missed by so many.
Above all else, James Stephen Todd O’Brien was a beloved and cherished husband, father, son, brother, and so much more. He grew up in a family of three boys and two loving and dedicated parents. From his father, Jerry, he inherited a bold heart and a dedication to family. From his mother, the late Lucille, he inherited a playful spirit and ambition. From his older brother, Shayne, he received his persistence and tenacity. From his oldest brother, Mike, he received the power of gentleness and connection. These qualities he carried throughout the beautiful fifty years he had on this planet and generously shared them with everyone he met all over the world.
Todd was an innovator and a dream maker. His professional life never served just him, it was always about encouraging and inspiring the dreams of those around him. Todd was a beloved leader and mentor to incredible individuals in companies all over the world such as Dell, Rackspace, Rainmaking Innovation, and most recently Apeel Sciences. Anyone who was lucky enough to be on one of Todd’s teams has stories of incredible fun, deep connection, and inspiring accomplishments.
Todd’s whole life was centered around his love for Lisa, Mayson, and Creighton. He shared his deep heart of compassion, his intense love of adventure, his propensity to play, and his bright light of love with his family every single day.
For Lisa, Todd was her best friend and the love of her life since she was 18 years old. He gave her the richest, most beautiful life and two amazing children. He showed her the world and all of its diverse beauty. He pushed her out of her comfort zone, so she could become the person she was meant to be.
For Mayson, her dad was her hero. He taught her that anything was possible and gave her the tools she needed to take the first step. He supported and encouraged every dream she ever had. He taught her to love adventure and that the most beautiful things in life require an amount of risk.
For Creighton, his dad was the strongest, most caring, and most reliable friend and father to him. In his life, he taught him what it meant to be a man. The real version of the word. A man who provides, a man who is understanding and kind. In his death, he left him with the most beautiful gift, his passion to connect, laugh, and love deeply with everyone in his life.
Today is Thanksgiving and one of our family’s favorite holidays. We are thankful for being the three lucky ones who belonged to Todd. We are also incredibly grateful for the love and compassion that we have received from so many amazing people who were impacted by Todd’s life. Many of you have asked what you can do and how you can help. Though it is hard to think of anything that can be done to lessen the pain, we have thought of some things that everyone can do as a way of expressing gratitude and celebration for the legacy of Todd’s life.
1). For everyone - Take time today to connect, cherish, and love the people in your life. This is something that Todd did constantly and in doing that in your life, you honor him.
2). Be a dream maker - Many of you have felt the impact of Todd’s encouragement and inspiration in your personal and professional lives. Pass on his generosity and do everything you can to make the dreams of others in your life possible. For us, we have lost our Dream Maker and we need people to take up that mantle.
3). Education Fund - One of Todd’s dreams and goals were for his children to be educated with no debt, in order to live out their dreams fully. If you feel compelled to help make Todd’s dream into a reality, this fund has been set up for that purpose.
4). Evolve Podcast - Todd was passionate about his podcast, it gave him the opportunity to hear the stories of other entrepreneurs. We will be carrying on this passion for Todd and releasing the last episodes that he recorded this year. We will also be recording a legacy season for people to share the impact Todd had on their life. If you would like to be a contributor, please send an email to creightonobrien at gmail.com.
As we celebrate the legacy of Todd’s life today we want to express our condolences to all of you who will feel his absence with us. Thank you for being a part of his life and for making it a rich and memorable journey.
Above all else, James Stephen Todd O’Brien was a beloved and cherished husband, father, son, brother, and so much more. He grew up in a family of three boys and two loving and dedicated parents. From his father, Jerry, he inherited a bold heart and a dedication to family. From his mother, the late Lucille, he inherited a playful spirit and ambition. From his older brother, Shayne, he received his persistence and tenacity. From his oldest brother, Mike, he received the power of gentleness and connection. These qualities he carried throughout the beautiful fifty years he had on this planet and generously shared them with everyone he met all over the world.
Todd was an innovator and a dream maker. His professional life never served just him, it was always about encouraging and inspiring the dreams of those around him. Todd was a beloved leader and mentor to incredible individuals in companies all over the world such as Dell, Rackspace, Rainmaking Innovation, and most recently Apeel Sciences. Anyone who was lucky enough to be on one of Todd’s teams has stories of incredible fun, deep connection, and inspiring accomplishments.
Todd’s whole life was centered around his love for Lisa, Mayson, and Creighton. He shared his deep heart of compassion, his intense love of adventure, his propensity to play, and his bright light of love with his family every single day.
For Lisa, Todd was her best friend and the love of her life since she was 18 years old. He gave her the richest, most beautiful life and two amazing children. He showed her the world and all of its diverse beauty. He pushed her out of her comfort zone, so she could become the person she was meant to be.
For Mayson, her dad was her hero. He taught her that anything was possible and gave her the tools she needed to take the first step. He supported and encouraged every dream she ever had. He taught her to love adventure and that the most beautiful things in life require an amount of risk.
For Creighton, his dad was the strongest, most caring, and most reliable friend and father to him. In his life, he taught him what it meant to be a man. The real version of the word. A man who provides, a man who is understanding and kind. In his death, he left him with the most beautiful gift, his passion to connect, laugh, and love deeply with everyone in his life.
Today is Thanksgiving and one of our family’s favorite holidays. We are thankful for being the three lucky ones who belonged to Todd. We are also incredibly grateful for the love and compassion that we have received from so many amazing people who were impacted by Todd’s life. Many of you have asked what you can do and how you can help. Though it is hard to think of anything that can be done to lessen the pain, we have thought of some things that everyone can do as a way of expressing gratitude and celebration for the legacy of Todd’s life.
1). For everyone - Take time today to connect, cherish, and love the people in your life. This is something that Todd did constantly and in doing that in your life, you honor him.
2). Be a dream maker - Many of you have felt the impact of Todd’s encouragement and inspiration in your personal and professional lives. Pass on his generosity and do everything you can to make the dreams of others in your life possible. For us, we have lost our Dream Maker and we need people to take up that mantle.
3). Education Fund - One of Todd’s dreams and goals were for his children to be educated with no debt, in order to live out their dreams fully. If you feel compelled to help make Todd’s dream into a reality, this fund has been set up for that purpose.
4). Evolve Podcast - Todd was passionate about his podcast, it gave him the opportunity to hear the stories of other entrepreneurs. We will be carrying on this passion for Todd and releasing the last episodes that he recorded this year. We will also be recording a legacy season for people to share the impact Todd had on their life. If you would like to be a contributor, please send an email to creightonobrien at gmail.com.
As we celebrate the legacy of Todd’s life today we want to express our condolences to all of you who will feel his absence with us. Thank you for being a part of his life and for making it a rich and memorable journey.
Organizer and beneficiary
Todd O’Brien
Organizer
Austin, TX
Lisa O'Brien
Beneficiary
