600 Mourn Slain Guard as Friend, Top Athlete

ORANGE — Kyle S. O’Brien, the Sears security guard killed outside the store last week, was memorialized Friday as the epitome of the American Dream--a scholar, athlete, friend and student leader at Cal State Fullerton.

More than 600 mourners filled First United Methodist Church and stood in its aisles to hear teachers, fraternity brothers and friends recall the 22-year-old who was captain of the school’s nationally ranked fencing team and vice president of finance of the student government.

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon, who attended the service, described O’Brien afterward as “a great young man.” Gordon recalled a meeting in May with O’Brien, shortly after the Orange resident took over as head of the trouble-plagued student government budget.

“Kyle told me: ‘President Gordon, you will have no problems with the budget as long as I am treasurer,’ ” Gordon said. “And that was true.”

During the service’s 30-minute “sharing,” more than a dozen people stood in the pews and spoke spontaneously of O’Brien’s generosity, industriousness, love of family, warmth and can-do attitude. A large color picture of O’Brien in full smile was at the front of the sanctuary. That image--of spirited youth cut short in life--haunted the service.

“That was his everyday demeanor,” said Don Maxey, student government accounting manager, referring to the photo.

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In addition to a large delegation of students and faculty members, the service for the senior anthropology major was attended by scores of people from the Sears store in Orange as well as a dozen uniformed members of the Orange Police Department, including Chief John R. Robertson.

“We wanted to show our respect to this young man who lived here and died as a security officer,” said Officer Brent Taylor.

Investigators say O’Brien was killed Aug. 15 by a man who tried to get a cash refund on a paint sprayer he might not have bought. The man shot O’Brien and wounded another unarmed security guard when they accompanied the suspect to his car, where he was to get identification.

Gilbert Ortiz, 20, of Bell has been charged with murder, attempted murder, burglary and the special circumstance of murder in commission of a burglary, police said. Ortiz is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 5.

The university and Orange High School have established scholarships in O’Brien’s name. Sears manager Pat Jenkins, who attended the service, said the company is making donations to both. Before the service, friends from Sigma Nu fraternity, where O’Brien was an officer, signed a frat sweatshirt and displayed it in the lobby as a tribute, while others from student government handed small green ribbons to mourners.

“It is a symbol of nonviolence,” said Kristine Buse of Westminster.

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Maryalyce Jeremiah, Cal State Fullerton’s associate director of athletics, discussed how O’Brien had taken up fencing as an afterthought to fill an empty place in his schedule. Singled out by the coach as a promising prospect because of his reach and height, O’Brien led last year’s Titan team to a conference title and a rank of 22nd in the national championships.

“He represented the epitome of what a student-athlete really was,” Jeremiah said. “He was a true Titan, and we will really miss him.”

O’Brien’s grandmother Betty O’Brien, recalling his playful demeanor, described him as “a kind, loving young man” who “loved cookies.”

“In my house I have a cookie jar . . . and that was the first place he would come to,” she said. “Then he would say, ‘Hi, Grandma.’ ”

“I am heartbroken,” she said later.