After more than 50 years of public service, Southern Essex Register of Deeds John O’Brien is stepping down effective Dec. 31.

In a letter to The Item, O’Brien said he is retiring before his term expires due to health issues.

“I had hoped to be able to finish my term, which expires in January of 2025, but I realized that my health, particularly my diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia, would no longer allow me to fulfill my responsibilities as Register of Deeds as I would want to do and as the people of Essex County deserve,” O’Brien wrote.

O’Brien was first elected to the office in 1976. Before that, he served as Lynn’s Ward 6 city councilor, having been elected in 1971 as a 19-year-old.

“To my family, coworkers, friends, and constituents, thank you for being so kind to me over those years,” O’Brien wrote. “As this chapter in my professional life comes to a close with my retirement on Dec. 31, 2023, thank you all for making it possible.”

See Page A4 for O’Brien’s full letter.