Obituary of Gerald Regis O'Donnell

Gerald "Jerry" Regis O'Donnell, 77, of Harrisburg, PA, passed away Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at the Lehigh Valley Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. Jerry was born February 28, 1939 in Mount Carmel, PA, the son of the late Regis O'Donnell and Catherine (Carroll) O'Donnell. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Henry O'Donnell. He is survived by his wife, Carol (Annis) O'Donnell, with whom he shared 56 blissful years of marriage. He is also survived by two sons, Gerald O'Donnell, Jr. of Boiling Springs, and Brian O'Donnell of Harrisburg, a daughter, Tara (O'Donnell) Koch of Harrisburg, and his sister, Joanne Coyle of Harrisburg. He is survived by ten grandchildren, nephews and nieces, and many cousins. He was a longtime member of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque Church, where he was part of the "Golden Years" club and made many wonderful friendships. Jerry was a retired from the Department of Revenue in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served in the US Army and was honorably discharged after being stationed in France. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Jerry was active in the Penn Garden Lions Club, coaching baseball and softball for many years as his children were growing up. There was no bigger fan of Notre Dame than Jerry - the Notre Dame fight song was like the National Anthem in his family. Aside from watching sports, Jerry enjoyed traveling and taking daily walks with his wife, and his beloved dog, Chloe. He was a doting grandfather, and cherished his role in life as "Popsie". A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:30 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at Saint Margaret Mary Church, 2800 Paxton Church Road in Harrisburg. A visitation will be held prior to Mass, beginning at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to be made to the Andy Derr Foundation for kidney cancer research, 144 Lilac Drive, Allentown, PA 18104, www.andyderrfoundation.org, or to Saint Margaret Mary Church, 2800 Paxton Church Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112. The Dailey Funeral Home is honored to serve the O'Donnell family. www.daileyfuneralhome.com