Alice N. O'Brien (Nelson)

Alice Nelson O’Brien, 73, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Tuesday, July 29, after a brief illness. She was born on August 8, 1940 in Mobile, AL, to the late Ann Nelson and the late Richard Nelson, and predeceased in 1992 by Terence O’Brien, her husband of 29 years. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and brothers: son Kevin O’Brien and his wife, Carrie, and their children Andrew and Ann Douglas in Charlotte, NC; son Kenneth O’Brien and his wife Marie in Lexington, SC; daughter Kim O’Brien and her husband Nick in New Haven, CT; brother Richard Nelson and his wife Christie in Mobile, AL; and brother Jerry Nelson and his wife Linda in Birmingham, AL. A loving mother and an adoring grandmother, she was also an animal lover who had a passion for taking in strays even as a child. Throughout her adult life, she provided a loving home for a series of dogs and cats who came from difficult circumstances, rechristening most with Irish names. Though she worked as a homemaker and bookkeeper at various stages, animal rescue was her true passion. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 31, 2014, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home West Ashley Chapel, 2501 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston, SC. A funeral service will be held at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home West Ashley Chapel on Friday, August 1, 2014, at 11:00am. Burial will follow in the Live Oak Memorial Gardens cemetery. She asked that memorial contributions be made to the local ASPCA in lieu of flowers. Donations can be sent to them at 2455 Remount Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.McAlister-Smith.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to McALISTER-SMITH FUNERAL HOME WEST ASHLEY CHAPEL, 2501 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston, SC 29414, 843-722-8371.

Visitation:
Thursday, July 31, 2014

Service:
Friday, August 1, 2014