Paul O'Brien, 68, of Lisbon, Wisconsin, passed away on January 7, 2026 after a long battle with cancer.

Paul was a dedicated father, loving husband, machinist, engineer, outdoorsman, youth sports coach and a loyal friend to many. He will be missed by all. He was a true gentleman, kind hearted and genuine. He was as tough as nails and wore his heart on his sleeve. Honest, sincere, graceful and caring, inspirational, motivational and strong. A teacher, a craftsman, a builder and creator, a family man above all. A man who knew how to get it done and have some fun.

Paul was born in Schenectady, New York, to Eleanor I. O'Brien (1924-1981) and Paul E. O'Brien (1924-2012). The middle child of three he is preceded in death by his older brother Dennis (1956-2020) who he always looked up to and his younger sister Eileen (1962-1995) who he loved dearly. He is survived by his wife Janet (Caspary), his son Kevin, his daughter Kelly (Trevor Reinhard), his mother in-law Joyce Caspary, his sister in-law Terry O'Brien, his sister and brother in-law Cheryl and Dan Chartier and his nieces and nephews Susan, Emily and Kathleen O'Brien and Chris and Greg Chartier.

He grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey, and later Leominster, Massachusetts, where he played hockey and golf and enjoyed watching the Yankees and his beloved Boston Bruins. In 1973 his father received an opportunity with Allis Chalmers and moved the family to Brookfield, Wisconsin. Paul met his devoted wife of 43 years while attending Brookfield East High School where he also met many of his lifelong friends. He graduated in 1975 and went on to become a tool room machinist at AO Smith after completing a tool room machinist apprenticeship.

While working full time Paul completed his engineering degree at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1992. He transitioned to a position as CNC programmer for the tool room machinists who made the tooling for the manufacture of AO Smith frames for GM and Ford trucks. He worked at AO Smith from 1979 to 1997 when the company was bought by Tower Automotive where he worked until 2001. Paul finished his career at Grede in Menomonee Falls where he worked as a senior engineer and machine programmer. He valued opportunities to pass on his machining knowledge to others. He prided himself in doing things the right way. He always said measure twice cut once.

Paul enjoyed walking the trails through the woods on his property in the Village of Lisbon, traveling with his wife, and working on projects around the house. From minor repairs and upgrades to full bath remodels he meticulously did it all. His art was wood working, metal working and most recently 3-D printing. He entertained himself watching the Packers and playing fantasy football and going to Badger games with his good friend Mike. Paul loved his family more than anything in the world; he dedicated much of his younger years to his children coaching their teams as they played soccer, hockey, basketball and football. His fondest memories include the camping fishing trips he took with his son to the Turtle Flambeau Flowage in northern Wisconsin, his daughter's graduation from medical school, and her wedding in 2024.

Paul loved spending time at his family's cottage in Northeast Wisconsin. He enjoyed deer hunting with his father-in-law Pete, his son and longtime friends. He enjoyed fishing there with his friends and family especially introducing the sport to his children showing them how to catch fish, clean them and fry them up for the family to enjoy. He took pride and joy in captaining the pontoon boat full of family and friends on cruises around the lake in his old Merton Softball or Lake County Football tee shirt, Wisconsin Badgers hat, moccasins and gym shorts; waiving to those on the shoreline as he went by.

In 2015 Paul was diagnosed with terminal cancer. For over a decade he fought through the agony and endured all the pain in order to be there for his family. The battle came to an end in 2026 but the cancer did not win. Paul was victorious as he lived his life to the fullest and defined a legacy for all who knew him to remember him by. He will live on forever in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Visitation for Paul will be held on Monday January 26, 2026 at the Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Home in Sussex from 4 PM until the time of sharing at 6 PM.