Thomas Michael O’Donnell

1928 - 2015

Thomas Michael O'Donnell, 87, died Friday, Oct. 23, after a long, adventurous and fulfilling life. Born in 1928 to parents Gladys (Staten) and Edward T. O'Donnell, Tom grew up in Springfield, Mass., and spent the majority of his life in Hopkinton. Tom loved his family and friends, the town of Hopkinton, and was a devoted educator and town committee member.

In 1963, Tom went skiing on a blind date with a pretty nursing student named Susan and one year later, they were married and shortly thereafter moved to Hopkinton. They had two children, Mike and Ellen. Over the years, Tom took great pleasure in watching his family expand to include Mark Pellegrini, Katharyn Hok and grandchildren Jackson, Isabel, Myles and Chloe Pellegrini and Ben, Russell and Sam O'Donnell.

As their children grew up, Tom and Sue had many wonderful summers at their rustic cabin in the woods by a charming lake surrounded by blueberry bushes, rocks and plenty of shoreline to explore. When the children were young, there were trips to England and Ireland to connect with Irish relatives and friends and those were some of Tom's favorite memories. With Tom's encouragement, the family raised pigs and sheep, had a garden, and made maple syrup. Skiing at Pats Peak, hiking, and skiing Mt. Washington were also favorite activities. One special memory was a trip to Paris two years ago where Tom treated Ellen to Paris's high life the way he felt it should be experienced.

Tom was a loving and invested grandfather who took great joy in being a part of his grandkids' lives. He used his life experiences, talents, and interests to thoroughly enrich the lives of all those around him, especially his grandchildren. Whether it was art or nature, woodworking, archery, sailing, academics, or annual visits to his favorite college hangouts, Bimma, as Tom was known to his grandkids, was driven by a desire to share with his grandkids the things that made him happy.

Tom pursued many lifelong interests including art and antiques, genealogy, photography, drawing, traveling, reading and writing, jewelry making, and Chinese cooking. His greatest pleasure was spending time with family and friends especially at the cabin he built in Otis, Massachusetts. Otis was the source of many pleasures including swimming, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, trailblazing, crafts of any kind, poetry readings in the pine grove, lunch at the waterside and many evenings around the fireplace. Tom always felt blessed to have spent time during every year of his life at Otis with the exception of only one year when he was stationed in Japan. In 2013, Tom celebrated a century of O'Donnells in Otis with a party for his family, friends and Otis neighbors. Another source of pleasure for Tom was raising a glass of whiskey or Baileys to whatever occasion was being toasted.

Proud of his education from Technical High School in Springfield, Mass., he went on to graduate from American International College and earned a Masters in Education at Harvard University. As a lifelong educator, Tom taught mathematics and computer science at New England College and Plymouth State College until he retired at the age of 80. Tom was a strict and creative professor who worked hard to bring innovative approaches to the study of mathematics. He wore a white shirt and tie each and every day to class.

Tom played an impactful role in the Hopkinton town administration by serving as chairman of the planning board for many years and held various positions on the budget and zoning committee until as recently as last year. He was a frequent visitor of the library and occasionally taught classes to children there.

As Tom reflected back upon his life, he was proud of the happiness that he brought to others. He took great pride in his family, their accomplishments, their adventures, and was pleased to see his family and their friends continuing to enjoy the legacy he lovingly left them. It was truly a blessed life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the Hopkinton town library or the Kimball Lake Cabin Association c/o the Town of Hopkinton.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, at 11 a.m. in St. Theresa Church in Henniker.

Burial will follow in Hopkinton Old Cemetery, Hopkinton.

The Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the family. For more, log on to holtwoodburyfh.com.