William N. O'Brien

William "Willie" N. O'Brien, age 60, passed away at his Arlington home on May 2, 2016 after a long battle with various medical complications. A visitation to celebrate his fulfilled life with family and friends will begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at the Kolden Funeral Home in Arlington. Memorial service will begin at 3p.m. Willie was born on July 23, 1955 to William & Dorothy (Wilmsen) O'Brien in Arlington, Mn. He grew up in Arlington then moved to the cities as an adult. Willie started in the entertainment industry as a teenager, as the drummer for The Mike Glieden Band, who was later inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Willie found his true calling as a Monitor Engineer. Through his 30 year career, he was able to travel the world with numerous high profile entertainment icons. Willie humbly toured with musicians such as Straight Up, Gypsie, Veruca Salt, The Commodores, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Jonny Lang Band, to name a slender few. He also had the opportunity to work with The Boston Pops, Minneapolis Orchestra, Barney live on Stage, and The Sounds of Blackness. He enjoyed entertaining the troops with a PACAF Tour hosted by the Commodores through Asia during Desert Storm. Through his years of touring, he has had the honor of sitting alongside President Clinton, Della Reece, and BB King. In the years leading to his retirement, he and his wife moved to McGregor, MN, where he could enjoy hunting, fishing, four wheeling, playing with his dogs, and enjoying his grandchildren for the next 20 years before moving back to his hometown. He is survived by his wife Lisa; daughter Amy Schwandt of Clermont, FL; Grandchildren, Tiana, Austin and Andrew. Great-Grandson, Kaiden. Siblings; Colleen (Mark) Trebelhorn of Alexandria, MN, Dan (Pam) O'Brien of New Prague, MN, Brenda (Charlie) Thomes of Arlington, MN, Marie (Scott) Brau of Eden Prairie, MN and Tony (Lynn) O'Brien of Le Sueur, MN. Many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, William & Dorothy O'Brien

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