Kevin William O'Donnell

Kevin William O’Donnell, 62, of Cary, passed away on April 20th, 2023. Kevin was born in Lakewood, Ohio but moved to the Raleigh area when he was a boy. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Robert O’Donnell and Patricia Higgins O’Donnell, natives of Lowell, MA, but who spent most of their lives in the Raleigh area.

The funeral service for Kevin will be on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at First United Methodist Church of Cary at 2:00 PM. The Family will receive friends for visitation at the church following the service.

Kevin is survived by his wife of 35 years, Sharon Johnson O’Donnell; sons William Robert O'Donnell and wife Amelia; David Johnson O’Donnell and wife Claire; and Jason Steven O’Donnell, all of Cary and Raleigh; a sister, Joan O’Donnell Price and husband Richard (Rick) Price, of Clayton, NC; nieces Victoria Price of Clayton and Melissa Price Kromm, husband Chris of Durham, NC; all of Durham, NC; in-laws Samuel Atkins Johnson and Wiloree Woody Johnson, of Raleigh; brother-in-law, Samuel Atkins Johnson, Jr.; sisters-in-law Gail Johnson Gunnells and husband Durward (Butch) Gunnells; Mary Johnson Brown and husband Jerry Brown; nephews Justin Brown, Jacob Gunnells (Carie), Sam Gunnells, Matthew Gunnells (Taylor), all of Raleigh; niece, Kristin Brown Wooten (David) of Hickory, NC; great-nieces Anya Kromm, Ella Kromm, and Kylie Wooten; great-nephews Luke Wooten, Grayson Gunnells, Graham Gunnells and Alec Kromm; many loving & devoted cousins; & amazing friends. He also leaves behind his precious dog ‘child’ Norman and ‘granddogs’ Tessie, & Frank. He also loved the dear long-haired dachshund, Fenway, that the family had for almost 16 years as the boys grew up; Fenway was a part of the family, but he had an especially tight bond with Kevin. Kevin had always said that one day Fen would wait at the Rainbow Bridge for him. That’s the picture Kevin’s family members will have in their minds and keep in their hearts.

Kevin grew up in Raleigh where he fell in love with Scouting at an early age, hiking, camping, and spending his summers at Scout camps and Philmont Scout Ranch. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 15, a high honor, and he always strived throughout his life to continue to uphold the values taught in Scouting. He had a beloved cat when he was growing up named Rascal, whom Kevin affectionately called "Claws". He also loved visiting his great-aunt Kay in York, Maine, one of his favorite places, as well as visiting his family in the Lowell area. With his New England family background, Kevin became an avid Boston Red Sox fan and as his ancestors did before him, followed the Sox religiously through constant disappointments; but, he talked fondly of visiting Fenway Park when he was a boy. He graduated from Sanderson High School in Raleigh in 1978 and then attended North Carolina State University and graduated in 1982 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a proud allegiance to NC State athletics. He talked frequently about the Wolfpack’s basketball national championship in 1983 and how much it had meant to him. During that time, he also became a huge fan of Jim Valvano and his inspiring speeches.

Kevin then went to Florida State University where he graduated in 1984 with a degree in Finance; he moved back to Raleigh where he worked as an analyst for the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, gaining an impressive reputation as a witness for consumers in rate cases. After their marriage in 1988, Kevin and Sharon made Cary their home & joined First United Methodist Church where they made many friends and found a supportive faith community. He coached teen basketball teams with the City of Raleigh for several years, even winning the tournament one year. He was a great role model for those young men. Kevin studied for the rigorous Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams and passed them, earning the prestigious CFA designation. Kevin and Sharon had their first child, Billy, in 1991, and Kevin discovered he absolutely adored being a dad. He worked for Booth & Associates of Raleigh and the NC Electric Cooperatives before deciding to start his own energy consulting firm, Nova Energy Consultants in Cary in 1994. Also, in 1994, Kevin become a father again when their second son, David, was born. It was clear to everyone who met Kevin that his young sons were the lights of his life.

When oldest son Billy joined the Cub Scouts, Kevin became a dedicated Cub Scout leader for years, and continued in a similar leadership position in Boy Scouts, providing guidance and humor to numerous Scouts. One memory Scouts have of him is how Kevin would sometimes wake them up by loudly singing, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” in an intentionally very off-key voice. Youngest son Jason was born in 2000, & Kevin again was blessed to become a father and was delighted to be dad to his three boys. Kevin also coached in the Town of Cary and Y basketball leagues, again winning the annual tournament just like he’d done with his Raleigh team years earlier; he jokingly referred to himself as a Hall of Fame Cary Rec coach.

All three of his sons become Eagle Scouts just like their dad. This was such a source of pride and accomplishment for Kevin. His sons weren’t fans of camping the way Kevin always was, but they enjoyed the fellowship of Scouting and knew that their involvement in Scouting was important to their dad. They showed their immense love for him by all three earning the Eagle Scout badge. Youngest son Jason went with Kevin on a Troop 200 Scout backpacking trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico where Kevin had gone as a youth. One of Kevin's passions was dogs. He volunteered with a dog rescue group, transporting many blessed pups to their new homes in other cities. Bill and David went with their dad on a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon in 2017. Those were such special times for Kevin. He also enjoyed family trips to York Beach, Maine; backpacking with friends in places like Utah & Colorado; and going to Red Sox, NC State, and Carolina Hurricanes games with his family. Sports always provided analogies about life in Kevin’s family, and he remembered fondly those October nights in 2004 when the Red Sox went on their improbable, incredibly inspiring run, finally winning the World Series as he, his wife and boys all watched in the family room, jumping up and down in complete happiness. The weddings of David and Claire in 2021 and of Bill and Amelia in March of 2023 were unforgettable, amazing days, and the family will cherish them forever.

Kevin was a wonderful husband and father and was the epitome of responsibility and integrity. His devotion to his family was beyond belief, and they miss him beyond what words can possibly describe. His dedication to his clients was unquestionable, and he worked diligently to successfully help his clients with their energy projects, resulting in millions of dollars’ worth of energy savings for them over the decades.

Unfortunately, Kevin also had depression and anxiety issues for most of his life; it was a constant battle for him, although he also experienced much joy and many wonderful moments in his life. If you know someone struggling with these or other mental health illnesses, please reach out to them; if you are struggling with these issues, please reach out to others and in crisis situations, please call 988. And please support mental health organizations so that our county, state, and nation will someday soon have adequate mental health facilities/environments and programs, including in Emergency Departments for crisis situations.

In lieu of flowers, the family highly encourages donations in Kevin’s name be made to one of the following organizations. Contributions can be made to: the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Wake County, https://nami-wake.org/get-involved/donate/ or the Counseling & Prevention Services Enhancement at NC State University https://give.ncsu.edu (Scroll down and select division of Academic & Student Affairs, then scroll to Health & Wellness/Counseling and Prevention Services Enhancement, then to bottom of screen to continue.)

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