Remembering Cary O’Brien, Revered Salon Owner and Innovator

Tributes are pouring in from near and far for Cary O’Brien, one of the most respected salon industry professionals in the St. Louis region.

The namesake owner of Cary O’Brien’s Design and Color Spa in St. Charles, O’Brien was a longtime resident of St. Peters. He passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 23, at age 56, just two days before his 57th birthday. He leaves behind his wife and partner, Talisa, and daughters, Chloe, Sydney, Isabel and Mia. O’Brien is fondly remembered for his love and care of his family, as well as his extended family of current and former stylists and clients.

Curbside condolences for O’Brien will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 1, at Baue Funeral Home in St. Peters. To read his obituary, visit baue.com.

With a career in the salon industry that spanned more than 30 years, O’Brien was a larger-than-life personality,  setting trends on stage, wowing his team and clients at the salon and just being fully committed to sharing the best of the industry, while serving in executive leadership positions for national salon industry professionals.

O’Brien made numerous contributions to local nonprofits and major fashion events throughout the community, with his team working behind the scenes at shows to help enhance the region’s fashion industry. He was a generous man who went above and beyond for his community, appearing on shows like KSDK’s “Show Me St. Louis” and Fox 2’s morning newscasts, and was regularly featured in lifestyle publications, including Gazelle, which he supported with his time, talent and resources.

His widow, Talisa, announced O’Brien’s passing on Friday on her Facebook page:

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train. Yesterday, I lost the love of my life, the father of my four amazing girls, a wonderful son, an amazing boss, a mentor and a dear friend to so so many,” Talisa O’Brien shared. “Cary passed away yesterday afternoon unexpectedly of what appears to be a heart attack. The girls and I are beyond devastated. His presence in our life is huge. The thought of us without him is daunting. The thought of him not here drinking his wine, working on a project, enjoying our camper with me, running with his friends, enjoying the girls, and so, so much more is unthinkable. We had so much planned and so much to look forward to.”

O’Brien’s obituary sums up the man he was. It reads, in part, that, “Cary was so much more than a father, husband and salon owner. Cary had a personality larger than life. He was the jokester, the thinker, the conversationalist, the leader, the doer, the manager and so much more. He made everyone feel special no matter who they were or what the situation. He was sensitive, caring, always teaching, coaching. He was an avid runner and had run over 30 marathons. He passed this love of running on to his four girls who all ran in high school and one going on to run in college. He was the dad at every XC and track meet cheering on not just his daughter, but every kid on the team. He was a boss that cared about his team professionally and personally and treated them like one of his own kids.”

Talisa O’Brien said losing someone during a pandemic makes the process of grieving more difficult and challenging.

“We won’t have a celebration of life until after the world is healthy. He deserves a spectacular send off. But we will have a drive by visitation on Friday,” she said.

Salons, beauty supply stores, other organizations and friends from around the country are paying their respects to O’Brien on social media.

You can read the tributes on Cary O’Brien’s Design and Color Spa’s Facebook page. Memorial contributions in Cary’s name may be made to Girls on the Run – St. Louis.

The salon in St. Charles will continue to operate to honor and preserve O’Brien’s work, vision and legacy, according to Talisa O’Brien.

Cillah Hall

Publisher/Lifestyle Editor

Cillah Hall, who has a penchant for taking risks and testing limits, is the force behind Gazelle Magazine and stlcountynews.com. She has an innate passion for writing and journalism and a desire to empower others. Before moving to the U.S. at age 19, Hall was a first-runner up in the Miss Universe Zambia pageant. Prior to launching Gazelle Media, she was a television news producer at KSDK-TV and owner of Xanadu Public Relations. Check out her podcast "Just Cillah" my perfectly imperfect immigrant life" at cillah.com.