Margaret Maria O'Brien

Margaret Maria O’Brien, age 96, of Sharon, Massachusetts, died December 20, 2025, at Alliance Health at Maples in Wrentham, where she had been a resident for two years.

Margaret was born in the tiny hamlet of Immeldorf, Germany, on February 28, 1929 to Johann Stützer (d. 1979) and Anna Kurz (d. 1966), one of eleven siblings, including her beloved twin sister Katie. Nicknamed Gretl, she grew up with a strong work ethic—her favorite stories from her childhood were about raking hay and storing potatoes. She attended primary school and, after WWII, went to work on other farms, in a Bierhaus, and as a nanny to a British couple, despite speaking little to no English. She met her ex-husband, James O’Brien (d. 1994), who spoke little to no German, while he was serving in the military in Ansbach, Germany, where they married. In 1956, she sailed on a decommissioned war ship to Jim’s home in New York City (“seasick all the way”). She had three children: James (Jimmy), Elizabeth (Liz), and Nancy. The family lived in Albany, New York; Kailua, Hawaii; Charlotte, North Carolina (where she finally learned to drive in order “to get some freedom”); and settled in Sharon, Massachusetts in 1969. In 1971, the family moved to Mansfield Street, where Margaret lived for the next 46 years. She proudly became a U.S. citizen on April 16, 1984. Margaret was raised Lutheran but made sure her kids were raised Catholic (“I promised the priest who married us”).

Margaret worked in the lunch room at Sharon Junior High for many years and then at Shaw’s bakery in Canton for many years after that. She spent hours watching her grandkids (her “little rascals”), Meghan, Caitlin, Shannon, Jimmy, Shane, Tris, and Skye. She became the first assisted living resident at Whitney Place in Sharon (now Care One) in 2017 and lived there somewhat happily (“where’s all my stuff—I hope you haven't given it away”).

And she was a prodigious collector of stuff—she loved yard sales and combing through the Sharon Dump, when one could do that kind of thing. Her motto was “this could be useful someday.” She loved her family and always wanted to make sure they were well fed (“would you like a sandwich?”). She loved Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve for company and family. She loved her nutcracker collection, her salt and pepper shaker collection, her beanie baby collection, her cabbage patch doll collection, her sets of decorations for every holiday, and her series of dogs (Shep, Spot, Blackie, Penny, McDuff, Sasha, and Roxie).

Margaret leaves behind her daughter Liz O’Brien and son-in-law Bill Dodge, and her daughter Nancy. As Oma/Grammy, she also leaves behind seven grandchildren and their partners, Meghan O’Brien and Mike Slade, Caitlin O’Brien and Adam Melter, Shannon O’Brien and Tyler Medeiros, Jimmy O’Brien and Colette Patterson, Shane Conrad and Monica LeBlanc, Tris Dodge and Tonya Piergies, and Skye Dodge, as well as four beloved great-grandchildren, Sophia and Johnny Medeiros, Lucas Melter, and Maisie Slade. Margaret was predeceased by her twin Katie Bogucki in 2004 and leaves behind one living sister Marie Bößenecker and many other relatives in Germany. Her son, Jimmy O’Brien, predeceased her in 2024. She will also be remembered by many friends and neighbors, and by some who knew her only from her family’s stories, typically told in an imitation of her unique German/Boston accent.

She was the original energizer bunny, who just kept going. Maybe because of all the Dunkin’ coffee she drank. But it was time—she wanted to see her mother and father again. Ruhe in Frieden.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Margaret's visitation on Monday, January 5th, 2026, from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, 48 Common Street, Walpole.

A funeral home service will be held on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, at 10:30 am. Interment will follow at Rock Ridge Cemetery in Sharon.

Donations in Margaret’s memory to Friends of Sharon Conservation would be appreciated. Donations can be mailed to 45 Furnace Street, Sharon, MA 02067 or by visiting https://sharonfoc.org/support-sharon-friends-of-conservation/