Joan M. O’Brien, age 67, resident of New Canaan since 1985 and wife of Michael F. O’Brien, died at home on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, from breast cancer. She was first diagnosed in 1995. Joan was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on June 5, 1942, the only child of the late Joan and Martin Meehan. She received a BS in chemistry from Notre Dame College on Staten Island and a MS from the Rutgers Institute of Microbiology, with her thesis isolating and analyzing the structure of the antibiotic Gentamicin. During the first year of graduate school, she met and fell in love with Michael O’Brien, a mathematics graduate student. They were married in 1966 and had four children. At the age of 50 she entered Pace Law School in White Plains, NY, where she was Articles Editor of the Pace Law Review. She received her Juris Doctor in 1995 at the same time she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began a dual journey of fighting her cancer and following the law career she loved. She worked at the law firm of Blair and Potts in Stamford, CT, for nine years. Joan was an active member in the Emmaus Community of St. Aloysius Church. She loved to play tennis and travel, having lived in France with her family for eight years. In addition, Joan was an artist and published writer. She displayed her oils, pastels, and watercolors at Silvermine and in New Canaan. She has written her reflections on life and has left these as a legacy for her descendants. She treasured and loved her family, friends, and medical team and they in turn showered her with love and respect. She would like to be remembered for that love and for living in the moment and cherishing each day. In addition to her husband, survivors include her four children, Chris with his son Aidan O’Brien-Turner, Alyssa and her husband Laird Rawsthorne, Jean-Paul with his wife Jennifer and their children Ariana and Liam, and William with his wife Sarah. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, September 12th at 11:00 am at St. Aloysius Church, Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT. Interment will be private. Friends may call at the Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street, New Canaan on Friday, September 11th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, friends are welcome to send donations to the Bennett Cancer Center, Stamford, CT, in the name of Joan M. O'Brien. http://www.stamfordhospitalcancer.com/ For online condolences, visit: www.hoytfuneralhome.com