Life Story: Marion O'Brian

Marion O’Brian, resident at Lansbury Court Care Home, was born in January 1932, and whilst christened Marion, has preferred all her life to be known as Mari. Born and raised in South Shields, Mari reflects fondly on her youth, talking about how much she loved her school days.  “Reading was a huge passion of mine, as well as knitting and sewing”, she says, and she attended Barnes Infant School, then Dean Road School until she was fourteen.  Mari’s brother, Stan, went into the services when Mari was just seven years old, at the beginning of the Second World War. The family learnt that he was tragically captured aged seventeen, and was imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp in France for two years.  “This had a very big impact on my childhood,” reflects Mari, “I worried about him every day.  I remember my mother crying and saying to my father that it would be over soon and we would all be reunited once again.” And fortunately the day did come when the army notified the family that Stan was alive and safe in France.  He was released and returned home safe and well at the end of the war, going on to marry his childhood sweetheart, Peggy.  For many years Stan would not talk about his experience, but as Mari grew older he began to open up. He told that he was not treated badly and that the worst thing about his time was the food and missing his family. He would count down the days until he was released. Leaving Dean Road School at the age of fourteen Mari began her working life in a food warehouse, where she stayed for two years, “I enjoyed working there as it was very close to home, and I could come home for lunch.” She left the warehouse to become a Nursery Nurse, which she loved.  She later met her husband Gordon in 1955.  It’s apparent that the impact of trying to conceive for ten years took its toll on the couple, and close to the point of giving up, at the age of 44 Mari was delighted and shocked to discover that she would have a baby. Joyce was born in January 1976. “Before Joyce was born I travelled all over with my husband Gordon.  He was a pressure grouter.  One of his famous jobs was to grout Big Ben. “Looking back I have experienced a lovely life and I feel truly blessed to be a mother to our beautiful daughter Joyce.”