Obituary of Donald Matthew O'Donnell

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. - Isaiah 25:8 Don is survived by an older brother Harold O'Donnell, a sister Mary-Etta Krawczyk and her husband Ronald, along with 10 nieces and 2 nephews as well as 6 great nieces and 10 great nephews. Most of whom live in Wisconsin. It would be remiss not to acknowledge two extremely close friends of twenty four years in the Washington area, Barbara Bennett and Tomi Wilson, as well as her two children and husband Jim. His love and admiration for these women made them his family in every sense of the word. Donald Matthew O'Donnell came into the world in Rhode Island. Born to a loving mother Marie Martin O'Donnell and a proud father Harold O'Donnell Sr., not long after the young family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Don's sense of humor blossomed in early childhood, he could find fun in any environment. Raised as a Catholic, regularly attending church each Sunday, his sister Mary-Etta remembers a cute little boy intentionally coughing and then giggling as he counted all the contagious coughs from the congregation. In another game, he would yawn and then count the number of people who also yawned , of course this only lasted until Mom would grab him by the ear and make him behave. He was encouraged by his brother and sister each Sunday because his mischievous smile always insured success without punishment. Don's first job was at the Harnischfeger Corporation. He Hated It!!! Factory work was not in his future so off he went to find his Never Never Land. Donald's zest for life and adventure made him a real life Peter Pan, no matter what his age, he had the spirit of a child. His niece's and nephews have many memories of his youthful spirit, he always had a joke or new game to share whenever he visited. He landed in Puyallup and started flipping burgers in a bowling alley. He discovered his hidden talents in the culinary field and was dubbed "Chef Don". Anyone who has ever had his delightfully delicious chicken gumbo can attest to his talent in the kitchen. Don was not afraid to try new things, like starting his own restaurant, and success or not, he always had the optimism of a child. His family would like to thank all of you who loved Chef Don. This includes his adopted family members in Washington as well as the B.F.E. Harley riders. He truly loved being with you all as he rode his 1996 Harley Sportster. We hope that you can imagine, as we do, Donald leaving life sliding into the arms of our Savior yelling at the top of his lungs with that little boy mischievous smile "Waoooo! What a ride!" Donald O'Donnell returned his breath back to God on November 30, 2006. His earthly body followed on December 6th 2006. Let us all say a prayer of thanks to God for the privilege of knowing Don. Thank you, Oh Holy Lord God, for the chance to have Chef Don touch our lives and for each of us to have touched his. Your blessing are all around us and Your Heavenly promises of the "No Mores" encourage us to walk in Your light. No More Sadness No More Sorrow No More Sickness Chef Don is cradled in the" No Mores" And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Revelation 21:3-6 Good Bye Don, we will see you again in the day of our Lord. May God bless us all in our earthly sorrow. Amen Arrangements by Edwards Memorial Center 253-566-1008