Barbara Louise O'Brien, of Springfield, passed away Monday December 19, 2022.  She was 77.

She was born to Floyd and Louise Pope in northwestern Missouri.  Her father Floyd lost his life in the waning days of World War II, leaving Louise to raise Barb and her older brother Al as a widowed mother.  Louise eventually met and married Dean Wiley, who adopted Al and Barb and raised them as his own.

Barbara attended the College of Saint Teresa where she studied nursing and made a number of cherished lifelong friends.  While there she spent two years training at the Mayo Clinic.  She also met her future husband, James F. O'Brien, whom she wed in 1970.

The couple settled in Springfield where they raised two sons, Ted and Michael.

Barbara spent most of her career as a nurse, nurse practitioner, and administrator at St. John's Mercy Hospital and its associated Marian Center.  She ultimately earned a masters degree in guidance and counseling from Missouri State University and a masters degree in psychiatric nursing from University of Kansas.  Later in her career she taught psychiatric nursing at the St. John's School of Nursing.

In her retirement she traveled extensively with her husband Jim.  The couple eventually visited all fifty US states, as well as numerous countries in Europe and South America.  She especially enjoyed several European river cruises they did with old friends, and was a passionate lover of Ireland which she visited nearly a dozen times.

In addition to her travels, Barbara was a regular participant in local book discussion groups and bridge groups.  She attended courses at Missouri State University as a retiree, and joined the League of Women Voters.

Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Dean and Louise Wiley, and her son, Ted.  She is survived by her husband, Jim, her son, Mike, her brother and sister-in-law Al and Jan Wiley, as well as numerous beloved nephews and nieces.

A visitation will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home on Wednesday December 21 from 6pm-7pm.  Funeral mass will be held at 10am on Thursday December 22 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church followed by interment at Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.