Thomas O'Donnell Obituary (1941 - 2014)

Thomas J. O'Donnell, 72 years old, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2014 after courageously battling brain cancer. Tom was born in Mattoon , IL, August 20, 1941, son of Cornelius Edmond O'Donnell and Mary Rose O'Donnell (Linkonis). He is survived by his wife of 47 years Hedy (Heinze) and his two daughters Moira and Meghan. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Ed (Nancy) O'Donnell and Phillip (Shirley) O'Donnell. Tom Graduated from Tilden Tech High School in Chicago, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' flight crew. He later earned his flight wings and was an instructor pilot in Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he was employed at Ford Motor Co. as a Process Engineer, while earning a Law Degree from Chicago Kent Law School. He later earned a Masters degree iin Tax Law from DePaul University. Tom was an Assistant State's Attorney in Cook County for seven years, and worked for several law firms before starting his own law practice. He was active in Darien and Illinois politics, and once ran for the Illinois Supreme Court. He was also active in his community, serving four years as the Director of Umpires for the Darien Youth Club (DYC), as well as coaching many of his daughters' soccer and softball teams in the DYC league. He also coached their basketball teams at Our Lady of Peace School in Darien, and had a special knack for collecting technical fouls from the bench. A huge fan of Chicago sports teams, Tom played against some members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in the first ever Bears on Court charity basketball game, during which he earned the nickname "3-point". After retiring to Arizona in 2007, Tom enjoyed various activities within the SaddleBrooke Community, including Putters, Water aerobics, and Bocce ball. He also baked scones for the monthly pancake breakfast at Santa Catalina Catholic Church. Tom had a talent for construction, building out basements in three different houses in Illinois, and helping his daughters with numerous projects at their homes. Always willing to lend a helping hand, he moved both daughters cross country several times, without complaining about their excessive amounts of junk. Tom was also an expert problem solver and always had an answer for everything -so much so, that friends would joke that he needed to create a "pocket Tom doll" which one could ask questions. Tom was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend and he will be missed by those who knew him.