Over the years, Kenney said, "[O'Beirne] lit up the room with her warmth. She will be so missed."
O'Beirne taught in the learning-support program at Holy Innocents School in the city's Juniata Park section.
Sister Regina Mullen, Holy Innocents' principal, said O'Beirne was in her third year in that program, teaching children who needed extra help, from first through sixth grades.
"She was a very dedicated, good teacher who really cared about the students," Sister Mullen said. "We will really miss her. It's just tragic."
Though classes were canceled on Wednesday because of the aftermath of Sandy, there was a faculty meeting at the school, after which O'Beirne left to go home.
A Hilltown police report said she was driving alone in a 1997 Mercedes-Benz north on Route 309 when she veered right and hit the guardrail.
The Rev. Thomas Higgins, pastor at Holy Innocents, said that O'Beirne was due to be married "adds even more sadness" to the accident.
"She was a lovely lady and always had a smile on her face," he said. "The kids and the fellow teachers loved her."
O'Beirne earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education and social studies at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md., and a master's in special education at King's College in Wilkes-Barre.
At Mount St. Mary's, she played on the women's lacrosse team, and she helped coach at King's and was helping coach the women's lacrosse team at Little Flower High School, her aunt said.
She is survived by her parents, Gail and David; brothers David, Sean, and Kevin; and sister Lily. A brother, Edward, died in 1987.
Visitation was set for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Holy Innocents Church, 1337 E. Hunting Park Ave., before an 11:30 a.m. Funeral Mass there, with burial in Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem.
Contact Walter F. Naedele at 215-854-5607 or wnaedele@phillynews.com.
