Dolores June O’Brien, a long-time resident of San Leandro, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 8, 2026, with her daughter Diane at her side and the songs of Frank Sinatra filling the room. She was 96 years old.

Dolores was born in San Francisco to Frank and Inez Foster. Soon the family moved across the Bay to settle in Oakland, where Dolores attended elementary and junior high school, and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1947. To fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, she headed to San Jose State and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a California teaching credential.

Dolores was proud to be the first in her family to attend and graduate from college, and she inspired future generations in the family to do the same. Her 50-year career in elementary education included teaching in the San Lorenzo School District, and at Ashland Elementary School, St. Leander School, and St. Felicitas Catholic School, where she was a beloved teacher and colleague for 25 years. Whenever she was out and about in the neighborhood, “Mrs. O’Brien” was recognized by former students, who were excited to see her and share fond memories about their days in her classroom.

She and her husband Tom were founding and active members of St. Felicitas Church. Over the years Dolores served on parish committees and in Women’s Club leadership roles, and taught CCD and baptism classes.

Dolores met her husband Tom on a blind date arranged by his sister Janie, Dolores’ college roommate. They married in 1953 and raised their five children in their home of 70 years in the Washington Manor neighborhood of San Leandro. Dolores admittedly hated to cook, but she was a consummate hostess when she and Tom held celebrations at their home for friends and family to mark holidays, birthdays, baptisms, communions, graduations, marriages and more.

Dolores always loved to sing and dance, encouraged by her father Frank who, story has it, was a vaudevillian hopeful in his younger days. She once recruited the neighborhood kids to put on a variety show in her friend Marie’s family basement to raise money for the USO during World War II. Her lovely singing voice and acting chops helped her land many fun parts, along with Tom, in St. Felicitas Church musicals.

To Dolores, all of her friends were like family. Travel with Tom, her family and friends – especially to Lake Tahoe -- and gambling at the casinos with friends were among Dolores’ favorite activities. The friends Dolores and her family made in their Christian Family Movement group were lifelong. Her coffee shop group, the ladies in her "coffee club," and her partners in organizing epic garage sales held a special place in her heart.

Dolores enjoyed music and theater and was an excellent writer, often composing songs and poems for loved ones' milestone birthdays and anniversaries.

She loved her children and grandchildren dearly, and never missed an opportunity to enthusiastically cheer them on in their chosen endeavors.

Spending time with her grandchildren brought special joy to Dolores. Her grandkids fondly remember walks with Grandma to Lori’s Deli, or the coffee shop for hot chocolate - and then stopping next door for Lottery scratchers, another of Dolores’ favorite activities! She was a fun grandma and an eternal optimist, eager to hear any “news” about what was happening in her grandchildren’s lives. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and talks with her were infused with laughter, which will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed.

Dolores is survived by her children Kathy Mirtallo (Mick), Diane Musumeci (Mike), Patrick O’Brien (Rebecca), Tom O’Brien (Jan) and Kevin O’Brien (Laura); grandchildren Michael (Chrissy), Gina, Sarah (Marcus), Ryan, Rachel (Paul), Daniel (Olivia) and Katie; great-grandchildren Liam, River, Ramona, Cosmo and Genevieve. She is predeceased by her husband Tom, her parents, and her brother Phillip.

A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, June 22, 10:30 a.m., St. Felicitas Catholic Church, 1662 Manor Blvd., San Leandro, CA. A viewing at 10 a.m. will precede the Mass. The Rite of Committal will take place graveside at 2:15 p.m. that day at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 26320 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA. In lieu of flowers you may choose to make a donation to St. Anne Village, a nonprofit offering programs and respite to seniors with cognitive challenges and their families: https://www.stannevillage.com or St. Anne Village, P.O. Box 374, Byron, CA 94514