For nearly thirty years, students walking into Revere High School’s Room 115 knew they were entering something more than a history classroom. Hundreds of photos of former students filled the walls, each a relationship William “Bill” O’Brien had cultivated in a career spent teaching, guiding and connecting with young people.
The classroom is now a shrine to the beloved teacher who taught there.
O’Brien, a history teacher at Revere High School for many years, whose influence went far beyond the curriculum, died unexpectedly on June 24. He was 53 years old. His death has prompted an extraordinary wave of grief and remembrance from current and former students, colleagues, city officials, and generations of alumni who say he helped shape their lives.
“Teaching was more than a job; it was his vocation,” his family wrote in his obituary. He believed in encouraging, mentoring, and challenging young people to be the best they could be.”
To many in Revere, O’Brien was simply “OB.”
Nearly 30 years ago, he arrived at Revere High School and quickly became one of its most recognizable and respected teachers. His booming laugh, razor-sharp wit, and encyclopedic knowledge of history made him connect with students from all backgrounds. Former students would stop by for a visit years after graduation, and colleagues would often pop in to Room 115 just to share a story or hear one of his signature jokes.
In a letter to the school community, Principal Christopher Bowen and incoming Principal Shay St. Laurent described O’Brien as “a larger-than-life character in every sense of the word.
"Very few people's passing would simultaneously evoke such sadness and such outrageously funny memories," they wrote. "Nothing epitomizes the longtime connection Bill has had to the Revere community better than the hundreds of photographs that plaster the wall of his classroom. These photographs capture memories from across almost 30 years of impact on Revere students."
When news of his death spread, social media was flooded with tributes from former students across the generations.
"Everyone's favorite teacher," wrote one alum. “The only teacher I sat in the front for.”
Some recalled O’Brien’s “infectious laughter throughout the hallways of Revere High School,” others called him “the teacher that changed so many lives,” and “one of the truest, most amazing teachers ever.”
The memories shared were all consistent. It was not so much the tests and assignments about which they spoke, but how O’Brien made students feel: welcomed, respected, challenged, and understood.
Those same qualities made him popular with his colleagues.
“O’Brien’s death is a huge loss for our entire RPS community – from staff to students to families,” Assistant Superintendent Richard Gallucci said.
“There is so much to say about Bill’s impact on our district,” Gallucci wrote. “But I know that everyone who ever had the pleasure of working with Bill always left his presence with a smile and fond memories.”
Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr., who also serves as the chair of the school committee, echoed those sentiments, noting that O'Brien's "commitment to shaping young minds and supporting colleagues leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten."
"Bill made a meaningful difference in the lives of so many, and his impact will continue to be felt for years to come," the mayor said.
O'Brien was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Pearl River, New York. He went to Assumption College in Worcester. Once settled in Massachusetts, he made Revere his home and spent over 30 years serving the community he grew to love. He enjoyed traveling, the beach, spending time with family and friends, and, outside of school, going on annual trips to Myrtle Beach with his parents. Family members remember him as a devoted son, caring brother, proud uncle, loyal friend, and a person whose kindness reached far beyond the classroom.
But it is inside Revere High School that his legacy is perhaps most evident.
It lives in the stories shared by alumni who still remember sitting in his classroom decades ago. It lives on in colleagues who still smile as they remember the nicknames he gave them. It’s in the hundreds of photos still hanging on the walls of Room 115, a visual history of the students whose lives he touched.
Teachers often want to make a difference.
Bill O’Brien made a huge impact, affecting thousands of lives.
He is survived by his parents, William and Judith O’Brien, brother Sean O’Brien, wife Kristine and son Finn, the family of his late sister Kelly Aurre, and an extended family of countless friends, colleagues, and former students who will remember him not just for the history he taught, but for the humanity he brought to every school day.