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Death came to him very close to home

A 77-year-old man was about 3 miles from home when his car was struck by another. He later died at the hospital.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published March 9, 2005

CLEARWATER - Joseph O'Brien, a retired chemist, had just dropped off his adult daughter at college Tuesday morning and was headed home to his wife Margaret.

He never came back.

At 8:17 a.m., O'Brien started to turn north from Drew Street onto Old Coachman Road when a car driven by Jung Hee Youn, 24, ran a red light, Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said.

Youn, of Oldsmar, had been traveling west on Drew in a Mitsubishi Eclipse when the light began to change. "Rather than slow down, he sped up to beat the light," Shelor said.

Youn's vehicle struck the passenger side of O'Brien's Toyota Camry. O'Brien was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

O'Brien, 77, was less than 3 miles from home.

Detectives were still investigating the crash and asked anyone who witnessed it to call Sgt. Robert Wierzba at 562-4338. Charges against Youn were pending and he could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

"Joe did his duty to God and mankind - and to us," said his 74-year-old wife, Margaret O'Brien, from their Clearwater living room. "He was a wonderful husband ... aggravating, but smart."

O'Brien earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University and then a master's from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his wife said. He went on to work for 20 years as an environmental chemist studying water pollution for that state.

He later returned to school and received a doctorate from Harvard University. "I was very proud of him," his wife said through tears.

They moved to Florida 31/2 years ago. O'Brien spent his time gardening and watching his favorite TV shows, Law & Order and Murder She Wrote. He also enjoyed crossword puzzles; they appealed to his analytical side, Margaret O'Brien said.

O'Brien is also survived by three daughters, Dawn, 37, Elaine, 33, Kathleen, 32 and a granddaughter, Sonja, 16.

"Joe loved Florida, but he wished he had retired years ago," Margaret O'Brien said.

[Last modified March 9, 2005, 00:54:20]