Richard T. O'Donnell

Richard T. O'Donnell passed away on June 3, 2026, at the age of 90.

In his nine decades on this planet, he was guided by one thing: love. Love was the power behind everything he did on behalf of his large family, his even larger circle of friends, the colleagues he mentored at work. His heart was huge and he gave all of it.

He was born on April 29, 1936, to the late Frank and Rose O'Donnell. They raised him and his beloved sisters Elaine and Trich (both deceased) in Cleveland Heights. From his parents he got his twinkly blue eyes, lanky frame, sense of humor, gift of gab, and talent for whistling. Frank and Rose instilled in him the many qualities we treasured in him:generosity, kindness, loyalty, putting others first. They also kindled in him a deep sense of Catholic faith which sustained him his entire life.

He loved St. Ann’s, St. Ignatius and the friends he made there that he maintained for his long life. He was even more passionate about the University of Notre Dame, its Catholic education, emphasis on faith and service, and of course, ND football. At ND, he also made friends for a lifetime, and went to reunions almost every year, and lunched with those friends, decade after decade. He graduated from ND with a degree in chemical engineering in 1958 and was a member of the ND Club of Cleveland.

Most of all, he loved his family, starting with his wife of 65 years, JoAnn (nee Walters).They met at a friend’s wedding; Dad took one look at the stunning blonde from Garfield Heights and that, as they say, was that. After three years of dating, they married on April 22, 1961.

She was the love of his life, his favorite person in the world, and the person he put first, always. He was devoted to her through all the ups and downs of their life together. Even after 65 years of marriage, he always ran to give her a kiss when he returned home after running errands.

He loved his kids. Four of us arrived in 49 months—Kathleen, Tim, Neil and Peggy, because he and my mom could not wait to start their own family. Fatherhood suited him: Taking us skating on the pond in Forest Hill and making sure to run the heater in the car when our toes got too cold and skating with us on Sunday night family skate at Cleveland Heights rink. Making homemade Halloween costumes (thanks, Dad for making me a wearable milk carton). Going to Browns games with his boys. Teaching us how to throw a football in a perfect spiral. Packing us in the station wagon and heading on summer roadtrips, ensuring he captured those vacation moments on film in funny ways like ensconced in the fake stocks at Greenfield Village, being chased by ducks at Storybook Forest, or draped around cannons at Fort Niagara. Taking our entire family to Ireland for two weeks on his 70th birthday—the trip of our lifetimes.

When we got older, he was just as hands on. He never complained about fixing our junk cars or getting up early for hockey practice or repeating the thinking behind complicated math problems. He was always ready to talk on the phone when we got homesick at college or send us some much-needed spending money.

When we left home and had our own families, he took on a title he was made for: father-in-law and grandparent. Now there were more O’Donnells in the fold to shower with love, teach important life lessons, play games with, or grab Pizzazz: sons-in-law Daniel Lamb, husband of Peggy, and Kurt Thomas, husband of Tim; grandkids Kat (Dan Heckman), Colleen, and Liam (Neil’s kids); Colin and Jack (Peggy’s kids); and Oliver, Maggie and Adam (Kurt’s kids). He also was blessed with three great-grandchildren, countless nieces and nephews, and his compassionate caregivers—Pat, Vanessa, and Celeste.

Dad loved solving problems and mentoring his colleagues at George J. Meyer/Akron Packaging Machinery (Figgie Corp.). As one of his colleagues said in an online tribute, “He was a titan of the packaging machinery industry.”

In “retirement,” he formed his own recruiting company, O’Donnell Search Group, and parlayed his gift of gab to find candidates for jobs in the packaging machinery industry. He delighted in matching people up with the right roles and working on his own time.

Dad also loved (in no particular order): 1436 Blackmore Road, the University of Notre Dame (he loved it so much it bears repeating), lunching with his St. Ann and St. Ignatius buddies, Browns football games, traveling around the world with mom, cooking steaks on the grill, doing the crossword puzzles, ragtime, seeing Broadway musicals in person, WW2 movies, his nightly Scotch, and a lot more. He lived a “Rich,” full life.

Dad was one of a kind, but also one of us. Those of us lucky enough to have Richard T. O’Donnell as a husband, father, friend, or mentor hit the jackpot. We will miss him terribly.

The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in his name to the Notre Dame Club of Cleveland, 2486 W. 14th St., Cleveland, OH 44113; St. Ignatius High School, 1911 W. 30th St., Cleveland, OH 44113 or The Communion of Saints Catholic Church at St. Ann’s Church, 2175 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Hts., OH 44118, where a Funeral Mass will be held Friday, June 12th at 10:30am. A private family interment will be held at a later date. FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD, 17022 CHAGRIN BLVD, SHAKER HTS., OH, THURSDAY, JUNE 11TH FROM 4-6PM.