Julia “Mae” O’Donnell (nee LaRocca), 92, a resident of Victory Lakes for the past 10 years, died peacefully Tuesday, August 21, 2018, at Victory Lakes. She was born June 27, 1926, in Chicago, to the late Joseph and Martha (nee Welch) LaRocca.
Mae was a co-owner, with her husband, of Mattias and Son Hardware Store in Chicago, where she helped with bookkeeping. She went on to work for the Globe Department Store in Fox Lake. She enjoyed gambling, playing cards, and traveling.
Survivors include her children, Dan (Jamie) O’Donnell of Spring Grove, Patrick (Dale) O’Donnell of Lindenhurst, Terry (Deb) O’Donnell of Antioch, Kelly Clark of Louisville, KY, and Mary (Edwin) Bielawski of Antioch; grandchildren, William, Sean, and Brandon O’Donnell, Kristen Sukolov, Stephen O’Donnell, Julie and Richard Clark, Nancy Bukantis, and Phil Bielawski; several great-grandchildren; sisters, Joeann Mize of Lindenhurst and Beverly Miezanek of Lake Villa; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Mae was preceded in death by her husband, William J. O’Donnell; brothers, George and Pat LaRocca; and sisters, Felicia Benz and Margie Kowziak.
The family wishes to thank past and current staff members of Victory Lakes, and the nurses of Heartland Hospice, for the exceptional care they provided to Mae over the past 10 years.
Visitation will be Friday, August 24, from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 10 a.m., at Hamsher Lakeside Funerals and Cremations, 12 N. Pistakee Lake Rd., Fox Lake. Entombment will follow in the Ascension Cemetery Mausoleum, Libertyville.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mae’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.StJude.org, or 800-805-5856.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Julia (LaRocca) O'Donnell, please visit our floral store.