Robert Earl O’Donnell

Posted: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 8:00 am

May 21, 1925 — June 30, 2011

Robert Earl O’Donnell of Philomath, a former counselor at Crescent Valley High School and developer of an alternative program for struggling learners at Corvallis High School, died Thursday, June 30, in Corvallis with his family at his side. He was 86.

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. today at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan in Corvallis.

Robert was born May 21, 1925, in Chariton, Iowa, to James and Martha O’Donnell.

Raised in an Irish Catholic family during the 1920s and 1930s, Bob was encouraged to set high ideals for himself. His father, James Patrick, modeled this by refusing under pressure to join an Indiana Ku Klux Klan group, losing his business and, as a result, being forced to labor in the coal mines to support his family of seven children during the Great Depression.

Immediately after high school, Bob was drafted into the U.S. Navy, and proudly served his country during World War II as a yeoman from 1943 to 1945.

After being honorably discharged from the Navy at the end of the war, he dedicated himself to furthering his education at Indiana University and Evansville College, earning a teaching certificate and bachelor’s degree in physical education. Later he obtained his master’s degree in education at Oregon State University, and doctorate in education at Sarasota College.

Bob was also actively involved in his Lutheran Church as a young adult and, later in life, in the Episcopal Church. Many pastors, parishioners and friends can attest to his prayerful and Christ-centered lifestyle.

Bob touched the lives of many people. First and foremost, he was a devout family man. With his wife, Bernell, he raised three sons (David, Randall and Kerry) and one daughter (Laura). Several years after Bernell died, he brought great joy to the Rarick family, marrying Deborah and nurturing her three sons (Patrick, Daniel and Christopher) and daughter (Jeannette).

His compassion for others was reflected in his teaching. He taught elementary through high school mathematics, social studies, physical education and driver’s education in four states: Indiana, Washington, California and Oregon. Bob was a counselor at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, and developed an alternative high school program for struggling learners at Corvallis High School, as he had done in California years earlier.

His athletic background was deep, including four years of varsity football, a stint as a minor league baseball player, and later as a middle school football, basketball, baseball and track coach, mostly at Highland View Middle School in Corvallis throughout the 1960s.

Bob was preceded in death by his first wife, Bernell O’Donnell, and youngest son, Kerry O’Donnell.

He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Deborah O’Donnell of Philomath; sons David (with Cherie) O’Donnell of North Bend and Randall (with Melva) O’Donnell of Kansas City, Mo.; daughter Laura (with Richard) Pohl of Omaha, Neb.; stepchildren Patrick (with Debrah) Rarick of Corvallis, Daniel (with Nancy) Rarick of Springfield, Christopher (with Karol) Rarick of Eugene, and Jeannette (with Jon) Baker of Bellingham, Wash.; 13 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Mike Franklin’s comments:

Mr. O'Donnell, I always wondered what happened to him and he was right under my nose all the time!  I remember him as a phys ed instructor at Highland View (but believe he had other teaching responsibilities as well) and as a Sunday School Teacher for us high school aged folks at Grace Lutheran then I totally lost track of him, always liked him and wondered where he went -

Apparently, my single point of contact at the time was through church and that must have been the time he went to the Episopal church - would have been about the time we changed pastors so makes some sense.

Like so many of our instructors, his history should have been better known, especially about the part of his Dad losing his business because of failure to join the Ku Klux Klan.  Wow!