Bill O'Brien

Bill O'Brien grew up very poor during the Depression and often shared how his father would drink away his wages, leaving Bill and his siblings to go to bed hungry.

"Thank God that Bill and Bob started A.A. in the 1930s so it was there for me when I needed it," Bill often said.

Bill got sober in New York City in 1957 and stayed sober from that time until he passed away in January 2006 -- 49 years, except for "two bad days" in 1959.

Bill reported being there at Joe Meiner's 20th anniversary in New York, when AA was only 25 years old and Bill Wilson led the meeting. In other words, those of us who knew Bill could say we shook the hand "that shook the hand of A.A.'s founder."

Everyone Bill met in the program was his new "best friend." He never said "goodbye"; instead he said, "See you in church." He would pull newcomer over to sit next to him and say, "We've been saving you a seat."

One of them later recalled, "Bill whispered, 'Are they talking about me?' and when I said No, he replied, "Well then, I'm not coming back here anymore."

When Bill passed away in January 2006, he had many "Best Friends." He also had three Best Children and their spouses, nine Best Grandchildren and five Best Great-Grandchildren.

He had a huge influence on many lives and helped countless men to get sober. A resident of Chula Vista, Bill was one of the most generous men in A.A., taking meetings into Donovan State Prison for many years.

He founded the Matt Talbot Retreat Group #110 which has organized semi-annual spiritual retreats for nearly 30 years. Bill's legacy lives on in the William J. O'Brien Memorial Scholarship Fund for that retreat, where donations are always welcome.

Taken from that talk, here are two short clips of Bill's most popular stories:

   

Group photo was taken in 2002 at a dinner celebrating Bill O'Brien's 85th birthday.