A wonderful man has gone to rest – Robert L. O’Donnell passed away peacefully Friday; August 2, 2024, surrounded by his family.

Robert Lorne O’Donnell was born on February 18th, 1936, in Lachine, QC, Canada, the youngest of three sons born to Agnes Clairmonte and Vincent O’Donnell Sr. He was raised in Montreal and spent most of his childhood summers on a farm outside of Quebec City. He was a proud graduate of Loyola High School in Montreal and to his very last days he credited the fine Jesuit instructors at Loyola with instilling in him a strong sense of honor, faith, and service. During his time at Loyola, one of the things he enjoyed most was the opportunity he was given to participate in sports, such as playing football and running track.

Following his graduation from Loyola, Bob served as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. His service and duty to his country remained one of his proudest accomplishments. One of the best stories Bob ever shared was during his time in the Naval Reserve he and all of his fellow sailors were repeatedly warned not to burn the tops of their feet while wearing sandals on deck. As typical young men however, they did not heed the warning. They quickly learned the importance of this warning when many sailors had severely sunburnt feet, but none dared to complain.

After his time in the Naval Reserve, he had a very diverse and eclectic career in which he spent a short period of time working at a bank along with various radio stations. Bob ultimately ended up as the Assistant Director of Personnel at Regina General Hospital and would continue on in this field for years to come. During this same time in his life, Bob also met Paulette, who would become his first wife. Bob and Paulette met when Bob’s best friend, Richard, asked if Bob could help him borrow a car to take his girlfriend, Odette (Paulette’s nursing school classmate), to the lake. Bob agreed on one condition;Odette had to bring him a date. Bob and Paulette hit it off and were married a year later. They would go on to welcome three children together: Erin, Lauren, and Sean.

In 1967, Bob emigrated to the United States with his first wife Paulette and their young family. In the United States he worked as an HR administrator in St Catherine’s, Osteopathic, and Augustana hospitals.

In 1975 Bob went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in business at Indiana University. He then held various corporate positions at Burger King and finished his career at Right Management.

In 1988 Bob and Carole met at a New Year’s Eve Dance at St Mathias parish in Crown Point – a few jitterbugs later they were both smitten and soon became inseparable partners on and off the dance floor. They were married a few years later and Bob became stepfather to Carole’s two daughters Cara and Brenna.

A devout Catholic and longtime parishioner of Saint Thomas More Church; Bob taught a CCD class geared towards high school students in the 1970’s, served as a Deacon in the 1980’s and was the past president of the St Thomas More senior’s club. He was an incredibly generous and giving soul who was always eager to be of service to others. He spent time after retirement building homes throughout the country with Habitat for Humanity, and most recently donated his time to Meals on Wheels.

Bob loved to travel and upon retirement he and Carole sold their Munster home and embarked on 14 years of adventure on the road as full-time RVers in their 38-foot motorhome. Bob was well suited for life on the road – with his love of adventure and his helpful friendly persona; he and Carole soon joined a community of fellow RVers and made many friends and memories along the way. They returned to this area every summer to spend time with family and for many years were campground hosts at the Indiana Dunes National Park – the grandchildren have many fond memories of time spent with Grandad and Nana “camping” in the motorhome.

Bob was not a complicated man: he loved strong coffee, shortbread cookies – well really, anything sweet. He loved crossword puzzles and Jeopardy. He loved Sunday dinners and PBS specials. He loved to be of service, but most of all Bob loved family. Of course, he relished the big events like Holidays, graduations, recitals, swim meets, and dog shows. However, he also expressed real appreciation for the small connections like weekly calls, or just sitting and talking over a cup of (really strong) coffee.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Paulette; his parents, Joseph and Agnes O’Donnell; and his brothers, Donald O’Donnell (Louise), and Vincent O’Donnell (Liliane, Beverley).

He is survived by his loving wife, Carole; daughters: Erin (Steve) O’ Donnell of St. Louis, MO and Lauren (Mike) Fisher of Harvard, IL; son, Sean (Nita) O’Donnell of Columbus, IN; stepdaughters: Cara (Jim) Panares-Pietrzak of Lagrange, IL, and Brenna (Lenny) Panares of Munster, IN; granddaughters: Marie Stahmer, Ashley Stahmer, Kendall Pietrzak, Sara Pietrzak, Devan Pietrzak, and Mira Costello.

Visitation will be held August 9, 2024, from 3:00 – 8:00 pm at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Ave. Munster, Indiana. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on August 10, 2024, at 10:00 am at Saint Maria Goretti Church, 500 Northgate Dr. Dyer, IN. Friends may visit with the family on Saturday from9:30 – 10:00 am at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Robert’s name to the Northwest Indiana Food Bank or Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana.

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