Agnes Leone O'Brien,

OREGON/ BROOKLYN - Agnes O'Brien, age 98, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 21, 2012, at Nazareth Health and Rehabilitation Center, in Stoughton. She was born on May 23, 1913, on the family farm near Brodhead. Agnes was third from the youngest of 13 children born to Esther (Cullen) and Sebastian Hughes. She attended the Murray Grade School, graduated from St. Clara Academy at Sinsinawa, and Mercy Nursing School in Janesville. Agnes married Maurice O’Brien on Nov. 3, 1938, at St. Patrick's Church in Albany. She was a member of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish in Oregon and an active member of the Altar Society until recent years. She treasured beautiful poppies every spring. She loved taking walks in the fields, watching the birds and working in her flower beds. She was a constant support to her husband, Maurice on the family farm. She loved making clothes and especially pajamas for the grandchildren. She was a wonderful cook and always had coffee and baked goods ready to begin the day as the family gathered. She spent many hours looking for the perfect recipe and then adjusting it to her own taste. Her canning of peaches, apricots and cherries each year was a treasure throughout the season. Her apple pies with apples from her own backyard were the best ever. She is survived by daughter, Margaret O'Brien O.P. of Fitchburg; two sons, Dan (Beth) O'Brien and Mark (Marilyn) O'Brien, of Brooklyn; a sister, Frances Weber of Jefferson; five grandchildren, Nancy O'Brien of Verona, William O'Brien of Fitchburg, Connie (Dale) Nelson of Brooklyn, Lori (Kevin) Haack of Cross Plains, and Derek O'Brien of Madison; two great grandchildren, Rowan Nelson and Leighton Haack; sisters-in-law, Mary Kleinschmidt of Orfordville and Bernice Hughes of Mt. Horeb; and several nieces and nephews. Agnes was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice in 2005; her parents; brothers and sisters, Elizabeth (Basil) Kauffman, Bernard, William (Genevra), Lawrence (Mabel), Margaret, Sister Mary Catherine O.P., Arthur (Ann), Andrew, Richard (Mary), Esther and Lucille; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Kauffman; and brothers-in-law, Harold Fuss, Don Kauffman and LeRoy Weber. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 651 N. Main St., Oregon, at 11a.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2012, with Father Gary Wankerl presiding. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass on Saturday. Special thanks to the dedicated, nurses and staff at Nazareth Health and Rehabilitation and Hospice for their wonderful care of Agnes for the past 17 months. Memorials may be made to Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa or a charity of your choice. So oft we see at eventide, the afterglow of a beautiful day, we watch with awe as its beauty fades and it passes away. So after a beautiful life has gone and bid farewell to each earthly tie, The afterglow lingers on For such a life can never die. Cemetery: Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa or a charity of your choice. Visitation will be at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass on Saturday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 651 N. Main St., Oregon, at 11a.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2012, with Father Gary Wankerl presiding.