Maureen Lappin O'Donnell

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Maureen O'Donnell Obituary

Maureen (nee Lappin) O'Donnell, 65, accomplished equestrian and artist, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 5, 2009, at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York.

There will be a family service held at the Biondi Funeral Home of Nutley, N.J., 540 Franklin Ave., on Saturday, July 11, 2009, at 10 a.m. The interment will be at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield, N.J. Visitation will be on Friday, July 10, 2009, from 7 to 9 p.m. For directions or to send online condolences, please visit our website at www.biondifuneralhome.com.

Maureen was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and lived in Nutley and Mansfield Township, N.J., before moving to St. Augustine, Fla. She graduated summa cum laude from Kean College in Union and pursued graduate studies in anthropology at the New School for Social Research in New York and the University of Iowa.

Maureen was an accomplished FEI-level dressage rider, trainer and instructor, as well as a known artist whose work as a painter was recognized in numerous galleries, museums and private collections. Her paintings may be seen at www.melappin.com. Maureen owned and operated the Sarsfield Farm in Mansfield Twp., N.J., and Hastings, Fla.

Maureen is survived by her beloved husband of 35 years, John O'Donnell; her loving sons, Evan O'Donnell and Kevin O'Donnell, and his wife, Monica; her daughter, Tracy Higgins, and her husband, Gregg; her brother, James Lappin, and his wife, Maureen; and her sister, Pat DiBiase. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren, James and Thomas Higgins; and her nieces, Cara and Janyne DiBiase.

Biondi Funeral Home, New York, is in charge of arrangements.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by St. Augustine Record on Jul. 9, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for Maureen O'Donnell

Sponsored by John O'Donnell and family.

3 Entries

Ann Merrill/McGowan

July 12, 2009

I was shocked to open the St. Augustine Record on Thursday July 9th & see Maureen Lappin's name in the obituaries. I said to my husband that I had gone to High School with a girl by that name. As I read I realized it was the same Maureen from Immaculate. We used to car pool together from Nutley, Maureen, Pat & myself.
I have lived in St. Augustine for 9 years - too bad I didn't realize Maureen lived here too.
My sympathy to all of you.

Sondra Sparapani

July 12, 2009

To John, Tracy, Evan, Kevin, Maureen's sister and brother, and her grandchildren, and anyone else I may have missed.
I can’t express how deeply sad and sorry I am that she is now gone. We shall all miss Maureen deeply. To me, she was my mentor and best friend for as long as she lived in the Saint Augustine area.
Some of you may know, that when my mother died, Maureen allowed me to stay close to her, because (although she never said it to me) she knew I needed a maternal figure in my life.
Maureen and I spent countless hours talking to each other about riding, painting, politics, and just about everything else in the world. We traveled a couple of times together and she taught me how to ride, and to take risks and life. I was one of her biggest fans when it came to painting and riding. She was a master at both. She was my second mother and I loved her deeply.
I enjoyed watching her paint, ride, and loved reading her short stories, which always made me cry within the first two paragraphs. But I think the most important time I spent with Maureen was in the last year of her life.
We both knew, however mentioned it rarely, that her cancer was aggressive. So, when she was getting treatment I would bring flowers over to the house and make her a huge flower arrangement. She loved watching the process -- I think it reminded her of painting and of the French and Italian countryside – a moment of contemplation of her past travels. If she was getting her chemo in town, I would do my best to stop in and chat with her, or stop at the farm and sit at the table – just for a few minutes or so. I called her almost every day, and although she sometimes couldn’t talk it didn’t matter – I always told her that I loved her. I would say “I love you Maureen,” and she would say “I love you too Sondra.”
But it was the last time when she was in Florida that we both realized she may never come back...She was getting things in order… she stopped in at the farm for the last time to say good-bye to the horses, and to encourage me to continue to train and ride the stallion to the Grand Prix. I promised her I would make her happy and I would do it – because I knew I could do it…she would be caring for me and knowing that – I assure her I would do it.
Yet by this time the horses had paled, and her focus was on Dumas Street. She adored that little work of art. Before leaving for New Jersey, I made an excuse to stop by for a couple of hours to visit and see all the work that had been completed. She let me in, and that little house was a masterpiece. The bathroom, the windows, the music room, it was all beautiful and all Maureen. We talked about the new chairs , as we waited for the electrician to come, and she smiled with a sense of pride, acceptance and resolution. She loved that house -- we got up from the front room and move from room to room—sitting, if only for a moment, to admire the artistic world she had created.

I must say that it was a privilege to be her friend for so long—I couldn’t and can’t digest imagine my life without her in it. And I can her saying to me right now…. "how cool is that?” – a favorite. I Love you Maureen….”how cool is that?”

John O'Donnell

July 11, 2009

The family of Maureen O'Donnell hopes you will share any memories of Maureen in this forum.

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