RIP: Longford mourns death of lady who was a great listener and advisor at local chemist

A community mainstay while working alongside her husband, Joe, in O’Brien’s chemist the death on Sunday, February 15 of Gretta O’Brien, Longford Road, Lanesboro brings to an end an era of the older O’Brien generation.

Joe and Gretta arrived in Lanesboro from Dublin where they joined his sister Maura as one of the two town chemists. 

Gretta went on to play a major role with Joe in his chemist as a confident and great listener and advisor to many of the customers. She was a great confidant and with that she gained a great reliability and dependence.

Gretta was a woman with great homeliness with the quality of being plain, simple, or unpretentious. She was a kind, generous and deeply religious lady whose strong belief that a great education was no extra weight to carry. In her own way she was a quiet lady and family woman who liked nothing better to have her children and later in life her grandchildren around her.

At the time of her passing she had just a few weeks previous passed her 96th birthday and she was predeceased 25 years ago by her husband Joe and since by her sisters Patricia and Mary. 

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For many years with Joe and later with her daughter Orla she could be seen making that daily walk from her home on the Longford Road to the chemist shop. She was a native of Ardee, Co Louth and was fiercely proud and supportive of her native county. For a few short years she had been in failing health and in recent weeks her health deteriorated and she passed away on Sunday, February 15.

Gretta’s remains reposed at her residence on Monday, February 16 and her remains were removed to St Mary’s Church, Lanesboro on Tuesday for her Requiem Mass followed by interment in Lanesboro Cemetery.

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Predeceased by her husband Joe (M.P.S.I.) and her sisters Patricia and Mary.

The late Gretta is deeply regretted by her family, Gretta (Gerard Iwanuk), Joe (Maureen), Conor (Rosaleen), Mary (Michael Lyons), Orla, Brian (Anna), her eleven grandchildren, three great grand children, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends, and staff and friends from O'Brien's Pharmacy.