Mary (Molly) Frances O'Brien Killoran May 1940 - February 2023
Mary Frances was born in Buffalo, NY in May 1940. She was the first of five children born to Riley Pratt O'Brien and Mary Aspinwall O'Brien. She graduated from New Trier Township HS in Winnetka, IL in 1958 and attended Pine Manor College in MA following high school. She then returned to the Chicago area and worked as a laboratory assistant at Northwestern Medical School where she met her husband, then medical student, Sean Killoran. Sean and Molly married, lived in Chicago, London, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and were then assigned to Fort Campbell, KY during the Vietnam War. They had three children, Laura, Bridget and Alec. The family relocated to Bainbridge Island, WA in 1970.
Creative, artistic and with a great sense of style, Molly studied design at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and pursued a career in the retail fashion industry after her divorce. Her career took her to Minneapolis, MN, Indianapolis, IN, and Philadelphia, PA, with Nordstrom as Manager of the Designer Collections department. Molly retired and moved to San Juan Island in 2000.
Molly thrived on the island and created many strong friendships for over 20 years; she will be dearly missed. Molly is predeceased by her son, Alec Killoran, her parents, and her sister Kathleen Ryan.
She is survived by her daughters, Laura Killoran and Bridget Killoran Bewley, both of Friday Harbor. She leaves behind four wonderful grandsons: Jack, Nate, Gunnar, and Leo. Molly is also survived by her sister Margaret (Peggy) Strickland, and her brothers Riley O'Brien, Jr. and Kevin O'Brien. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who live across the U.S.
The family wishes that in lieu of flowers, any remembrances be made to SJI Family Resource Center or the charity of your choice.