Obituary index

Angela 'Angie' Orr O'Donnell

[October 24, 2011]  MADISON, Wis. -- Angela LeAnne "Angie" Orr O'Donnell, 49, died Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in the presence of her family at Agrace HospiceCare in Madison after a long and courageous battle with ovarian cancer.

Her funeral will be at McFarland Lutheran Church, 5529 Marsh Road, McFarland, Wis., at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Visitation will be at the church on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the service time. (Map and driving directions)

At a later date, cremains will be placed at Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa, and Kossuth Cemetery, Mediapolis, Iowa.

She was born on March 8, 1962, at William Beaumont Hospital, El Paso, Texas, to Paul Robert and Judith Ann Orr. She married Raymond Lawrence "Larry" O'Donnell on June 28, 1986, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in West Burlington, Iowa.

Angie is survived by her husband; three sons, Derrick Lawrence, Brandon Paul and Ryan Cameron of McFarland and Madison; her parents, of Burlington, Iowa; two brothers, Paul Robert Orr II of St. Louis, Mo., and Jeffrey Cameron Orr of Hermosa Beach, Calif.; two nephews, Cameron Louis Orr and Dyton Joseph Orr of Hermosa Beach, Calif.; and many other relatives and friends.

Angie was always an enthusiastic competitor, in gymnastics as a youth and in college, and as a diver and cheerleader in high school. She loved children and taught them from the time she was 12 years old. She found her niche in swimming, first in St. Cloud, Minn., as a member of the board of directors for the St. Cloud swim team and as a swimming official, then later in McFarland, where she served as an age group coach and head coach for the McFarland Spartan Sharks. She was named the Wisconsin Age Group Coach of the Year twice during her tenure. Angie leaves behind many swimmers she coached whom she also considered "her kids."

She graduated from Burlington High School, Burlington, Iowa, in 1980, and attended the University of Iowa before pursuing a retail management career.

A scholarship fund will be established in Angie's name with the McFarland Education Foundation, c/o McFarland School District, 5101 Farwell St., McFarland WI 53558, Attn: Angie O'Donnell Scholarship.