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Obituary: Renowned alcoholic beverage attorney,
Vince O'Brien, has passed away at age 78
Source: Obituary
June 4, 2015
Edward Vincent "Vince" O'Brien passed away suddenly on Wednesday, June
3, 2015, after attending and speaking at an industry conference held to help
start-up beer, wine, and spirits brands. Vince had extensive experience in
beverage alcohol law, a category to which he has dedicated his entire career,
and for which he made many lasting international strides. He joined the law
firm of White & Case out of law school, and was assigned to its Joseph E.
Seagram & Sons, Inc., account on his very first day. Five years later, he was
named General Counsel and Director by Seagram, and was later elevated to
Executive Vice President while maintaining his roles as General Counsel and
Director. Vince later joined forces with Abe Buchman in creating the beverage
alcohol boutique firm of Buchman & O'Brien. In June of 2004, following the
retirement of Mr. Buchman, Vince joined the New York office of international
law firm Nixon Peabody, where he established the firm's Beverage Alcohol
Group.
Vince was a frequent lecturer and speaker on beverage alcohol issues at
international symposia and conferences, and his engagements included four
published presentations at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
global symposia concerning appellations of origin. He had also been a guest
lecturer at Aix-Marseille Law School in France, and was named as a member
of a special industry advisory committee to the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office regarding wine and spirits intellectual property issues during the
Uruguay Round GATT negotiations. In 2006 and again in 2007, Mr. O'Brien
was named one of New York's Super Lawyers. He was the senior member of
the U.S. delegation to the International Federation of Wines & Spirits and an
advisor to the Laws & Regulations Working Group of the International Wine
Office. He was a founding member of the International Wine Law Association
and author of a chapter on Beverage Alcohol Law Practice for West's Guide to
New York Practice. Vince was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, received a
J.D. from Fordham Law School, an MBA from New York University Graduate
School of Business, and an LLM in taxation from the New York University
Graduate School of Law. He has been honored by wine societies in France
and Hungary and is a recipient of the Chevalier de l'Ordre Mérite Agricole
bestowed by the French government.
Vince is survived by his wife of over fifty years, Linda, his sister Adrienne, his
children Ned, Beth, and David, as well as his son-in-law Steve Schiller, and
grandchildren Christopher and Samantha. He is also survived by his beloved
grand-dogs, Riggins and Watson, who held a truly special place in his heart.
He was overly fond of his family, his decades of service to his clients and
friends (who were almost always one and the same), and he often boasted
about how incredibly fortunate he was to do what he loved in an industry he
found so engaging.
A Funeral Mass for Vince will be celebrated Tuesday, June 9th, at 11:00 AM
at St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, in Northvale, New Jersey. The
family will receive friends this Sunday, June 7th from 3-6 PM and again
Monday, June 8th, from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris
Avenue, Northvale, New Jersey, (201) 767-3050.
In lieu of flowers, the O'Brien family asks that mourners please make
donations in Vince's memory to the charity of their choice, and to please raise
a glass to him when next surrounded by friends and loved ones.
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Edward Vincent "Vince" O'Brien, 1937-2015
Source: Instagram
By Dave O'Brien
June 4, 2015
Last night, my mentor, my friend, and my biggest fan - my father - passed
away quite suddenly. I am still coming to terms with this, and likely will be for
some time. I am, to be brutally honest, profoundly heartbroken. That said, I
chose this silly picture to remember him by because, if you knew him, you
knew he loved the carefree attitude of Hawaiian shirts, and that he lived his
life out loud - as loud as the outfit he's gleefully modeling here.
I was with him just an hour before he passed away, as he was moderating a
panel aimed to help startups in the beer, wine, and spirits industry. He told the
story about his very first day on the job as a young lawyer, how his very first
client was the then largest company in the business, Seagram's, and how that
one day set the course for his entire life spent as one of the most
knowledgeable and respected figures in the industry, which held true right up
to and through last night's event. He ended his portion by saying how
incredibly lucky and happy he was to be part of the hospitality industry, how
it's more of a family and full of incredibly passionate and creative people, and
that he couldn't imagine having done anything else with his life. I almost wish I
could say he was being prophetic, as if to go out after taking such a humble
bow, but the truth is I've heard him tell that story a thousand times - mostly
because it was the truth - and he fully believed it and lived it every day.
I'm always curious about people who share personal loss and family tragedies
on social media. I often wondered if I would ever feel compelled to do the
same; I usually concluded that it wouldn't be for me, that it would be more
proper to grieve in private. But I know my dad touched the lives of so many,
both personally and professionally, and that the many of you who will see this,
and knew him, would like to know that he passed, and perhaps be comforted
by the knowledge that apparently the last thing he said to someone was that
he "had a good day". I now realize that celebrating the life of a loved one lost in any form - is both part of the grieving process and a lasting tribute, and
perhaps sharing here can help the pain of the loss sting a little less.
Vince was 78, and is survived by his wife of over fifty years, his sister, three
children, a son in law, two grandchildren, and two of the luckiest grand-dogs a
man could have ever hoped for, and those pups in turn gave him so much joy
- I hope we all did. If you are someone who believes in prayer, please put my
mom in your thoughts today, as I cannot imagine the magnitude of her loss. If
prayer is not for you, then I simply ask you make sure to share a kind word
today with someone, anyone, in my dad's honor; and most importantly, tell the
people you love how much they mean to you. It will not always be necessary,
but it can never be said enough. I am saddened by the fact I cannot exactly
remember the last time I told my dad I loved him, and for that I feel ashamed.
Because I did love him, so very, very much, and everyone should always
know how much they're loved and appreciated.
I know that many of you have lost parents, spouses, siblings, children, and
friends, and I now grieve with you. Death happens, often in much more awful
ways than collapsing after a full, vibrant life, and people all over the planet
lose loved ones every day. But today we are down one of the greats, and I'm
not quite sure what I will do without him. But I am happy that the last thing I
did with my dad before I parted ways with him last night was share a drink - a
bourbon and a beer, in fact. I guess I find that quite fitting.
I love you, Dad, and I will miss you always. Here's to you...