OBrennan Maultsby Driscoll

OBrennan Maultsby Driscoll, 45, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, passed away on Monday, September 28, 2026, following an extended illness. OBrennan was the beloved only son of Vicki Driscoll of Sanford, NC, and Brian Driscoll of Carrboro, NC. He was the loving brother of his twin sister, Keville Kouraj, of Lincoln, RI. He was the uncle of his nieces Khadija, Halima and Soumaiya and nephew Abdullah. He was the brother-in-law of Keville’s husband, Karim Kouraj. He was the stepson of Vicki’s husband, David Hinton.

His father accepts with humility the acknowledgement that in a child’s heart, the mother always comes first. OBrennan was the closest being on the Earth to his mother, Vicki. They could tell each other what the other was thinking. For a father to lose his only son will be an extraordinary test of patience and fortitude. “Beanie” will be greatly missed by his twin sister, Keville. A twin is a built-in best friend for life. He was always so fiercely caring and protective. OBrennan lived a life marked by loyalty, kindness, and a deep love for his family.

OBrennan and Keville were born in Huntington, NY on March 16, 1981. They were premature twins with a combined birth weight of 5 lbs 7 oz. They fought furiously for their lives for four months at North Shore Medical Center in Manhasset, NY, a Nationally Recognized Leader of Neonatal Care. They were amazing fighters and their parents fought hard for them.

They also spent parts of their childhood in Los Angeles, CA, and Amherst, MA, before settling in Chapel Hill, NC, in 1990. OBrennan attended Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, Culbreth Middle School and Chapel Hill High School. He had a lifelong passion for reading, feeding his intellect’s voracious appetite with international cultural research and literature. He went on to excel at Appalachian State, where he ran a sub-6-minute mile and was offered a full scholarship if he were to choose Geography as his major. OBrennan's passions were International Affairs and Politics, not Geography. He had deep concerns about social injustice, poverty and inequality. So, he transferred to and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including an extraordinary semester abroad in New Zealand and Australia. After returning to the U.S., OBrennan graduated with a B.A. Degree in Peace, War and Defense. His college professors were very much impressed by his deep knowledge of history, politics, and global relations. His A+ essays often included side-bar notes of “this is professional writing,” “this is dense and to the point,” and “this is a pleasure to read.” At his graduation ceremony, he asked his father to name what OBrennan was most proud of. “The 3.8 grade point average?” his father replied. “No,” The O’Brennan answered, “I never cheated.”

His number one ambition was to return to New Zealand, a place that reflected his values. There was no litter on the streets and people trusted each other instinctively. He was fascinated by the diversity of cultures of Christchurch, especially the unique perspectives of the foreign students/friends he met there. His horizons were truly global. He spent treasured time in Australia with dear Auntie Sue and her husband Terry and developed a deep love and affection for both of them.

His love for all creatures great and small landed him a job at the Chapel Hill Animal Hospital alongside his best friend, Joe Davenport. Later, he pursued a career in Security where he earned promotions regularly due to his reliability and integrity.

OBrennan took great pleasure in the simple things in life. He loved music festivals, fast motorcycles, fighter jets, movies, laughter, travel and his friends. For a time, around age 11, his goal was to be a major league baseball pitcher and he spent precious hours playing catch with his dad. His prize possessions were his baseball mitt and a tee shirt with his hero’s name on the back, Nolan Ryan. For months, he insisted we call him Nolan. His favorite movies were Ace Ventura Pet Detective, True Lies, Terminator 1, Terminator 2 and, of course, The Lord of the Rings. He often day-dreamed of becoming a pilot so that he could travel the world.

He craved adventure, using his free time to pursue flying, sky-diving and paragliding. The quiet solitude of nature always fascinated him. Numerous weekends were spent hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, as well as along the Appalachian Trail. During the many years he lived in North Carolina, no trail was too far to drive to, including Yellowstone National Park where he thankfully avoided getting eaten by a bear. He especially loved biking down the Creeper Trail in Virginia.

Favorite memories from New York include howling at the moon on a rowboat in the middle of Huntington Bay, cheering for the crippled baby swan as we watched the three fledglings take their first flight, climbing through the mangled branches after Hurricane Gloria crashed a tree branch into our dining room table, and swimming at the beach in Huntington Bay Hills. Another cherished memory is watching Sea Gulls eat bread off the hood of the "bagel car" while parked at Halesite Harbor.

Amherst also held a special place in OBrennan's heart. Memories there include balancing across the narrow planks over the Plum Creek swamp, sledding down Alumni Hill at Amherst College, eating Sesame Chicken at the AmChi Restaurant, enjoying Bart’s Ice Cream flavors, riding the exhilarating alpine slide, skiing the snow-covered slopes at Mt. Tom, and exploring the deep mountains behind our house with our black lab, Ace. He also participated in two years of Cub Scouting, where his father was Den Leader and Pack Leader.

North Carolina was filled with special moments as well, including swimming at Heritage Hills pool, eating the best pizza ever by Chef Alfredo at Tony’s Pizza in University Mall, biking through the woods towards Star Point for candy, and working at Carolina Meadows Retirement Home together with his twin sister. His teen years were spent surrounded by the love of his many aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins. Family dinners, Davie Circle Football, pool parties, bowling, and vacations with all the cousins were certainly highlights of his childhood. Skiing the wintry slopes of Wintergreen, surfing the rolling waves of Wilmington beach, and tubing across the turbulent wake at Jordan Lake left him with a deep sense of gratitude to his aunts and uncles for arranging those excursions.

OBrennan spent considerable time in Providence, RI, with his twin sister, her husband Karim Kouraj, and their four children, Khadija (18), Halima (16), Abdullah (15) and Soumaiya (12). His passions in life have certainly trickled down to his nieces and nephews. As their beloved “Uncle Bean,” he instilled in them a love for books, hiking, fishing, Tree Top Adventures and the Lord of the Rings. He sat for many hours on a round, plastic stool, building a strong academic foundation for them through adventure stories. The furry additions of kittens Noufil and Mounir were at his encouragement. He taught the kids how to make the most delicious grilled cheese on the Earth. He eagerly attended Taekwondo tournaments and cross country races. His infectious laugh will echo in their hearts forever. Most memorable will be the laughter-filled car ride squished in the back seat of his tiny car after the minivan broke down during a rainstorm while on vacation in New Hampshire and dependable Uncle Bean came to the rescue. Although losing her only sibling has been a tremendous hardship, Keville takes solace in recognizing the enormous positive impact OBrennan had on her family in Rhode Island. Watching him faithfully fulfill his role as an uncle in such a sweet, tender and adventurous way reminds her of the wonderful childhood they shared together for so many years.

A passage OBrennan loved from his Mom, Vicki Driscoll:

"There Is No Way To Peace, Peace Is The Way" by A J Guste

“Rest In Peace my Beloved Only Son, I miss you so much.” – Mom

“Rest In Peace, OBrennan; I will miss you forever.” – Pop

“Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.” - Keville

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at Walker’s Funeral Home, located at 11680 US Hwy 15 501 N, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 between 10am and 12pm. A traditional burial will take place that afternoon at 1pm at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery, located at 1721 Legion Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27517.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a nonprofit that supports the Acadia National Park.

One example: Friendsofacadia.org

Pall Bearers for OBrennan will be:

Jonathan Caison

Tioga Honigmann

Mika Honigmann

Piper Honigmann

Paul VanNess

Galen Maultsby

Bevin Maultsby

Nick Maultsby Jones - Honarary Pall Bearer