AVALON –– Grace Murray O’Brien, of Gladwynne, Pa. and Avalon, namesake of Grace M. O’Brien Park and Gardens on Dune Drive and Eighth Street, died at a retirement community in her hometown on March 28, the day before her 91st birthday.
O’Brien, pianist and horticulturist, moved to her summer home in Avalon in 1974 and lived here for over 40 years. O’Brien is remembered for using her talents and volunteering her time to benefit the beautification of the borough.
Those who knew her describe her as a hard worker with a knack for enlisting help from others.
O’Brien played piano for three seasons at the Golden Inn and expressed her love for horticulture by gardening and landscaping several public places including the post office and police station.
In recognition of her beautification efforts the Avalon Garden Club named the park for her on Sept. 22, 1992.
O’Brien studied horticulture at the Barnes Foundation and won several ribbons from the Philadelphia Flower Show for her arrangements.
O’Brien’s granddaughter Rory O’Brien said her late grandmother was involved in many aspects of the community and a leader of the Avalon Garden Club.
Mary Jane Lea, a long-time friend of O’Brien, joined the Garden Club in 1983, when O’Brien was president, and later became the club’s vice-president.
Lea told the Herald how O’Brien was fascinated with Mexican culture and recalls one year when O’Brien wrote a play about Mexicans selling flowers written in half English and half Spanish that the garden club performed at Borough Hall.
“She was so intelligent,” Lea said of the late O’Brien.
Lea describes O’Brien as multifaceted with several interests and hobbies like travel, art, music, cooking and crafts.
In the early 1980s, when the club had only about 40 members, Lea said the first big undertaking was to spruce up the 7th Street triangle.
“It was a real mess but we made something of it,” Lea said.
O’Brien was creative in finding funds to benefit the Garden Club by hosting cocktail parties at her home here and instigating the club’s first mushroom soil sales to profit borough beautification.
“She was a fun person to be with, always thinking of how we could benefit the looks of the town,” Lea said. “She was a great pianist and would provide music for our club’s flower shows and fashion show benefits. She made delicious hors d’ oeuvres for our functions.”
“She would put us to work but then she would come with blankets and lunch for us to have a break,” Lea added.
“I remember she would pull-up to my house with her station wagon full of plants and my heart would sink, because we would need to find more volunteers, but we would get it done,” she said.
“I can’t say enough nice things about her,” Lea said. “There’s nothing she couldn’t do.”
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 Ext 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com.
