O’Cobhthaigh worked for congresswoman, newspapers

A lot of men and women make the Mid-Valley a special place. Timm O’Cobhthaigh, who died Friday morning of a heart attack at age 44, was one of them.

Love of nature and love of photography combined in one of his great passions, nature photography — a talent that shone through his many photographs for the Oregon Garden and Oregon State Parks.

He freelanced photos to the Statesman Journal for years. And he faithfully chronicled the lives of East Valley residents from about 2000 to 2004, when he worked as a reporter and photographer for the Silverton Appeal Tribune and the Stayton Mail.

At his memorial service on Monday, people who knew him primarily as a journalist were amazed to learn of another side of his life. A 16-year member of Alcoholics Anonymous, O’Cobhthaigh had stayed sober and inspired others to do so, his friends said. He also co-founded Lakepoint Community Care, a nonprofit drug- and alcohol-outreach center in Salem to serve low-income people.

Last year, O’Cobhthaigh started working as a district aide for U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley. The job let him make fresh use of his social-work education and his passion for helping those in need. He assisted Fifth District constituents with problems involving nursing-home care, health insurance and Medicare, among other issues. He was instrumental in helping draft Hooley’s anti-meth program.

O’Cobhthaigh left behind magnificent color nature portraits that lift the spirits of viewers; and he left hundreds of newspaper clippings that families will treasure in scrapbooks for years to come. He likely changed lives, even if he didn’t live to hear about it.

Our sympathy goes to his family and his many friends.