J. Arthur Brien's Obituary
J. Arthur Brien, 93, of Meredith, NH and formerly Lawrence, MA died peacefully in hospice care at his daughter Linda and son-in-law Rick’s home in Meredith, NH on July 31, 2023. When asked once what his obituary should say, J. Arthur replied, “He always tried to be a good man. He lived a good life. Now he’s resting in heaven.”
He was born May 19, 1930 to parents Alfred and Yvonne Brien in Lawrence, MA. A childhood spent as a self-described troublemaker in a 12-child household included a brief stint at a juniorate, where he was introduced to playing drums, followed by graduating from Central Catholic High School and later Merrimack College. While earning his degree in accounting, he was playing the drums at a family party and met a guest who turned out to be his one and only, Marguerite. The young couple eventually married and shared a life of faith, service and family.
J. Arthur leaves daughters Diane Gioseffi (and Thomas) of Salem, NH; Janet Sanguedolce (and Phillip) of Meredith, NH; Paula Faist (and James) of Kingston, NH; Linda Enderwick (and Richard) of Meredith, NH; and Roseann Cleary (and Stephen) of Tampa, FL; daughter-in-law Debra of Laconia, NH; sons Peter Brien of Derry, NH; and Thomas Brien (and Shane Lunt) of Dorchester, MA.
Following his Korean War service running the mailroom of the Pusan base (and where he earned extra money by playing the drums), J. Arthur began his career as an accountant, the bulk of which was spent at Lord Electric Co. in Watertown, MA. He continued to play drums nearly every weekend for many years to earn extra income.
A deeply religious man, he closely followed the teachings of Jesus and was very active in church activities at the St. Augustine/Our Lady of Good Counsel parish communities. But his faith manifested itself beyond the Church; supported by his wife, he was a tireless advocate for the poor, the broken, the downtrodden and the voiceless. His activism and volunteerism were nonstop and spanned too many organizations and causes to list. A notable direct action in support of civil rights was when he purchased two Lawrence apartment buildings, rented them to low-income minority tenants, and spent many Saturdays on site maintenance and management. The property has since been developed into an affordable housing complex.
Besides his love for drumming and music, he enjoyed helping his children build or improve their homes (he was the definition of a handyman), watching Patriots games, reading, and playing 45’s, which he usually won. Watching birds at the feeder brought him joy in recent years. He relished a family cookout, especially those including a raucous volleyball game, and if he were lucky, maple walnut ice cream and coconut anything on the dessert table.
J. Arthur will be missed by grandchildren Jonathan, Jennifer, Rebecca, Anthony, Leah, Jesse, Micah, Sierra, Adam, Luke, Nicole, Joel, Avery, Peyton, Sydney and Carter; great-grandchildren Dakota, Alec, Damien, Gwen, Isaac, Talia, Amaya, Maisy, Marston, Madison, Riley, Luke Jr., Graham, Logen, and Leona; young friends Serenity, Alicia and Amelia; siblings Agnes Bardwell of Methuen, MA, Albert Brien of Kingston, NH and Sidney Brien of Westport, MA; siblings-in-law Anne and Lionel Martel of Methuen, MA and Virginia Bergeron of Haverhill, MA; Brien and Bergeron in-laws, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins; and friends throughout the Merrimack Valley. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Marguerite; son Michael; daughter Marie; brothers Steve, Rene (Brother Simeon), Luke, Marty, Alphonse, and sisters Lucette, Claire, and Doris.
The family wishes to thank the Lakes Region Visiting Nurse Association/Hospice for their care and support; the Veteran’s Administration; Rev. Msgr. Gerald R. Belanger and the Outreach Ministries of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church; and Fr. Chris Casey, formerly of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
J. Arthur donated his body to the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
A funeral mass will be held on August 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 22 Plymouth St., Methuen MA. View the funeral mass livestream @ olgcparish.com. If you would like to make a charitable donation in honor of J. Arthur, he named the following organizations: Bread & Roses Soup Kitchen, 58 Newbury St., Lawrence, MA 01840; Lazarus House, PO Box 408, Lawrence, MA 01842; or lazarushouse.org. Brother Simeon Ernest Brien Scholarship Fund c/o Central Catholic H.S., 300 Hampshire Street, Lawrence, MA 01841.
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