Sandra O’Brien
1961-2023

Sandra O’Brien (nee Thompson) was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) on 16 September 1961 to Malcom and Sylvia Thompson. The paediatrician’s failure to check the positioning of her hip led to scoliosis and ongoing back problems that would impact the rest of her life. The Thompsons came back from Zimbabwe following Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. They settled in Oxted, Surrey, and Sandra attended St Michael’s prep school. The family moved again in 1974, this time to Monte Carlo, until 1975. When the family returned to the UK, Sandra was a fluent French speaker – with, she always insisted, a very good accent!

Sandra joined Sevenoaks as one of the first intake of boarding girls into the Sixth Form in 1977. She loved her time at the school and made some lifelong friendships. She particularly enjoyed the regular reunions of that first intake of girls. From Sevenoaks, Sandra attended the London School of Economics, eventually settling on a degree in Economic and Social History (to which she referred almost as much as her needlework O-level). Starting her career in marketing, she eventually found herself at Price Waterhouse, where she met Marc O’Brien, her future husband. Sandra spent many years at PW and then PwC, eventually becoming a director with a transatlantic team in London and Florida. She stepped down from PwC following the births of Phoebe in 1996 and Fergus in 1998.

Following a break to raise her family, Sandra found herself working in parliament as case worker for Sam Gyimah MP. She helped many, many constituents with cases ranging from housing issues  to a military extraction from a Middle Eastern country (arranged from the kitchen table). With the turmoil of Brexit she left parliament and joined the Citizens Advice Bureau where her diligence, sharp intellect and lack of patience was put to good use serving people in and around Caterham. In June 2020, Sandra and Marc moved to Tunbridge Wells where they continued to enjoy all the town had to offer (especially the restaurants and bars).

Sandra died on 31 October 2023 following a very short illness. She was 62. She is survived by her husband, Marc, and children Phoebe and Fergus.