BRIDA O’DONNELL

1920 - 2008

It is with great sadness that the family of Brida (Mary Bridget) O’Donnell, beloved wife of the late E.E. (Butch) O’Donnell announce her passing on Friday, November 21, 2008 just three days after her 88th birthday. She left this life, surrounded by her family, with the same grace and dignity with which she lived.
Brida is survived by her five children Margaret (Gary) Rombough of Taber and their children Blair (Diane) Rombough (their children Ashleigh, Delaney and Tanner), Mark (Michelle) Rombough (their children Joel, Jarid and Jordan), Lisa (Brent) Lehman (their children Breanne and Brady); Shirley (Robert) Jensen of Lethbridge and their children Michelle Lawlor (her children Riley and Joshua), Jason Turin (his children Ashton and Avery); Tim (Mandy) O’Donnell of Taber; Michael (Brenda) O’Donnell of Taber and their children Alexander and Kelly Bridget; Peter (Valerie) O’Donnell of Taber and their children Tamara and Andrew.
She was predeceased by her husband Butch; parents and in-laws; great grandchildren Bret, Brentson and Alisa Lehman; brother Robert and her sister Margaret.
Brida was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia on November 18, 1920 to Samuel and Agatha MacKenzie. Upon graduation, she attended Nursing School and became a Registered Nurse. She moved out to Alberta with a nursing friend and their first job was at St. Michael’s hospital in Lethbridge. They then applied to work at the Taber Hospital and it was during this time that she met Butch. Butch had joined the army during the Second World War and when he was shipped overseas, Brida went back to Sydney and worked there. When Butch was wounded, he was shipped back to Canada on a hospital ship which docked in Halifax, where he was met by Brida and her parents. Butch was then sent by train back to Taber and Brida followed him a short time later. Dad always joked that mom chased him all the way across Canada before she caught him. When Butch recovered from his injuries, he and Brida were married May 23, 1946. Butch and Brida raised five children on the farm just east and south of Taber. When her children were a little older, Brida returned to nursing at the Taber Hospital. Some of those same people that she worked with were with her in her final days and were so kind to her. We can never repay them for their kindness. After they retired, Butch and Brida spent many winters in Mesa, Arizona where they made many friends and enjoyed mild winters.
Relatives and friends are invited for Prayers at the Southland Funeral Chapel, 5006 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, 5009 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Mariusz Sztuk SDS Celebrant. Burial to follow at the Taber Memorial Garden.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Brida’s name may be made directly to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, #207, 542 - 7 Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 2H1 or to the Parkinson’s Society of Southern Alberta (Lethbridge Chapter), 1254 - 3 Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 0J9.