Fergus O’Brien (1962-2026)

Fergus was born in Dublin, one of five brothers, and moved to England in 1986 at the age of 24. After living in Salford and Huddersfield, Fergus and family moved to Chester in 2005 and this is where Fergus’s participation in music began.

Inspired by other members of the family enjoying playing music, in 2011 Fergus decided he would like to take up the double bass. After initially borrowing an instrument and taking a few lessons with John Modelski, Fergus became a keen, ambitious and conscientious player. He began playing in Chester Community Orchestra’s ‘Introductory Orchestra’ and soon progressed to the ‘Intermediate’ and ‘Main’ Orchestras. Fergus continued to develop his technique and playing with lessons from a professional bassist and his most prized possession was his new double bass, a 60th birthday present.

Besides playing in the Chester Community Orchestra, Fergus was very much a team-player – always there to encourage other bass players and help out with jobs at rehearsals and concerts. Fergus was also a member of the Wirral Community Orchestra for a number of years and had recently joined the Chester Sinfonia.

In addition to his love of music, Fergus, who worked in the water industry for 38 years, was a passionate environmentalist: he also loved books (the longer the better), films (the worse the better), cooking, travel, cycling and spending time with friends and family. He was kind, caring and generous, and will be deeply missed.