Like the airwaves through which his radio stations served northern Manitobans, Doug O’Brien was everywhere.
He was a businessman, a Rotarian, a chamber of commerce mainstay and a devout member of St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church. He was a father of six, a friend of many and an undisputed pillar of Flin Flon.
O’Brien passed away suddenly at Flin Flon General Hospital last Thursday, May 26 at the age of 80, leaving behind mournful loved ones along with an esteemed legacy.
“If you looked up in the dictionary, or for the younger set if they Googled, the word ‘gentleman,’ the definition would be Doug O’Brien,” said Rob Schiefele, a long-time friend. “Truly a true gentleman – hard-working, community-minded gentleman.”
Dianne Russell, O’Brien’s daughter, said “gentleman” is a word many people have been attaching to her father.
“I think for a lot of us, that describes him,” she said. “We in the family kind of say that he was just our favourite person. He was one of those people that was easy to love. We’re kind of a spiritual family, and we felt like Dad didn’t have to speak things – he just lived it. So he kind of taught us all by example how to be good people.”
So entrenched in Flin Flon was O’Brien that some believed him to be a born-and-bred resident. In fact he hailed from Riceton, Saskatchewan, a farming hamlet southeast of Regina.
A former advertising salesman with CJME radio in Regina, he was hired to manage Flin Flon’s CFAR in 1972. In tow were wife Dona and their six children. They figured they’d be in Flin Flon for a couple of years.
In time O’Brien would own CFAR along with its sister radio stations in The Pas and Thompson. As successful as he was in business, he was never too busy to give back.
As The Reminder noted in 2009, “If Doug O’Brien were applying for a job, he’d have a tough time cramming all of his volunteer activities onto his resume.”
As much as O’Brien tended to shy away from the spotlight, his efforts did not go unnoticed. Among his many honours: Lieutenant-Governor’s Make a Difference Community Award, City of Flin Flon Honourary Citizen award and the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow award. His photo and biography are also on the Flin Flon Station Museum Wall of Honour.
On the business side, O’Brien was a recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba.
Russell, the current manager of CFAR, said people have been telling her how her father encouraged others to join his volunteer pursuits – and succeeded.
“He didn’t make things difficult – things were just fun,” she said.
“Fun” is a sentiment easily conjured up as Schiefele reflects on his memories of O’Brien and their time together in the Rotary Club.
He said the two shared a long-running joke about how they once convinced the club to expand its radio bingo fundraiser beyond its usual Saturday timeslot. Here they were, two staunch Catholics advocating gambling on Sundays.
“We joked about that right up until almost the day he died,” said Schiefele, adding that the Sunday bingo experiment never did take off.
Revealing of O’Brien’s immense contribution to Flin Flon, City Hall lowered the flags at half-mast in his honour. The Flin Flon Community Choir also dedicated Sunday’s 20th anniversary concert to him.
A service for Doug O’Brien will be held on Friday at 1 pm at St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church. Friends and family are invited to make donations to the Northern Neighbours Foundation in his memory.
