Brian Daniel O'Rourke

Brian Daniel O’Rourke was 74 years old when he died at home in Milwaukie, OR on Feb 28, 2024. He was born in Portland, OR on April 13, 1949, to Dorothy & Patrick O’Rourke. He attended at St John’s elementary school and Clackamas High School.

Brian joined the Sheet Metal Workers Union Local #16. He worked in various locations throughout the northwest. His career was spent primarily working on metal roofs & gutters with a bit of heating & ventilation. He installed many covers for gas station pumps and worked on many downtown buildings. Rides around Portland came with a “I worked on that” comment nearly everywhere. One of the very visible jobs Brian worked on was the copper dome on the OMSI building.

Brian was a lifelong baseball fan with his favorite team being the New York Yankees because in his words, “they won all the time” when he was young. When he got the chance to visit Yankee Stadium much later in life, he said the if he’d had a bucket list visiting Yankee Stadium would be the only thing on it. Bucket List Complete!

Brian married Robin in 1983. His love of cruising began with their honeymoon and continued until Covid with several trips to the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii and through the Panama Canal twice. He and Robin had many adventures including a 6-week RV tour around South Africa where he got to see he favorite animal, the rhinoceros. They took two 4-month road trips around the US visiting major league baseball stadiums with the goal of seeing all 30 stadiums. He saw #24 in Minneapolis early in his final summer.

Brian retired in 2005 and looked for an activity that would keep him moving and get him out of the house. He found Tai Chi at the Milwaukie Senior Center. He grew to enjoy it so much he took part in demonstrations of the art at Chinese New Year festivals in Portland and Wilsonville. During a stop at Grand Canyon, he was compelled to practice a few movements while standing on an overlook. Through Tai Chi he made friends who became family.

Brian’s biggest passion was motorcycle riding. He loved riding in the rural areas of Clackamas County with the Clackamas River Hwy being his absolute favorite. Robin took him on a surprise drive of that route after he entered hospice care. The sense of calm that came over him was obvious.

Brian is survived by his wife, Robin, his siblings, Jim, Peggy, Julie and Karen as well as a gaggle of cousins who think of him as their other brother.

We will miss his kind & giving nature as well as his mischievous smile.

An informal open house will be held on his 75th birthday, April 13, 2024, from 1pm to 4pm at the Abernethy Grange, 15745 Harley Ave, Oregon City, OR, 97045.