Necrology

William Gerard O’Donnell '76

Oct. 31, 1954-Feb. 9, 2022

William Gerard O’Donnell ’76 died on Feb. 9, 2022, at his home in Ossining, N.Y. Born in New York City on Oct. 31, 1954, Bill had a twin sister and first lived in Manhattan. The family moved to Massapequa in Long Island and he came to Hamilton from Massapequa High School. On the Hill, he majored in government, was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, played both varsity lacrosse and football, and also found time to join the rugby team.

Bill participated in Hamilton’s Washington, D.C., Program and, as part of his studies, interned for one semester with New York’s First District Congressman Otis Pike. Upon graduating he returned to Washington to work for Pike, who was then in the final year of his last term. Bill enrolled at St. John’s University School of Law in 1978 and from there joined the family’s law firm, O’Donnell & Fox. The practice represented small businesses and corporations, and Bill conducted research and wrote briefs for his father and older brother, Tom, to take to court. Tom called him “very adept at writing,” a skill undoubtedly cultivated during Bill’s time on the Hill.

In 1986, he married Mary Dolan K’76, whom he first met during his freshman year. Mary became a journalist and worked her way up to her current position, executive editor of The Journal News, a newspaper serving the lower Hudson Valley.

Bill and Mary settled in Croton-on-Hudson and had two sons, Brendan and Timothy. He coached with Croton’s American Youth Soccer Organization, participated regularly in the town’s 10K Harry Chapin Memorial Run Against Hunger, and was a parishioner at the Church of the Holy Name of Mary. He was an indefatigable fan of the New York Mets, the New York Jets, and the New York Islanders, in both good seasons and bad.

Bill never retired. Despite the ravages of cancer, he never stepped away from his desk until the end.

William G. O’Donnell is survived by his wife, Mary Dolan K’76, and their two sons.

Necrology Home