THOMAS RAYMOND O'DONNELL

1939 - 2020

THOMAS RAYMOND O'DONNELL
12/27/1939 - 11/12/2020

Tom O'Donnell died on November 12, 2020 in Santa Fe, NM of Alzheimer's disease. Tom was born in 1939 in Akron, OH to Hallie Vincent and Jack Raymond O'Donnell. He attended East High School in Akron where he played on the varsity basketball team for three years. After graduating from East High in 1957, Tom enlisted in the Navy where he served as an electronics technician on the U.S.S. Ranger. From 1960-63, he served in the Navy Reserve. His military service provided him with the opportunity to attend college at Kent State University. He graduated with three degrees; a BA in English and Political Science (cum laude) (1965), a BS in Education (1970), and a MA in English (1973).
Tom's first job was as a writer for the American Trucking Association in Washington DC, then as an English teacher in Roxbury, MA, and finally as an investigator/negotiator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Cleveland, OH, Tampa, FL, and Washington DC. He retired from the EEOC in 1995.
In 2000, Tom reconnected with his college girlfriend, Karen Novotny, after a 35-year hiatus. They married in 2003 and lived together in Santa Fe, NM. Tom leaves behind his wife of 17 years; his brother John; his nieces Debbie and Shannon and their children; and his cousin Helena Peters.
Tom was a quiet, shy, kind, compassionate, humorous, caring, gentle, loving man who enjoyed listening to music from Beach Boys to Bach; reading mysteries, poetry, politics, and philosophy; investigating legal and political issues; writing poetry, letters to the editor and his unfinished novel; singing, watching pro-basketball and college football.
If you wish to do something in Tom's memory, please make a contribution to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org.