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O'Donnell, Elizabeth Gibbs

December 3, 1942 –
 March 14, 2021

Obituary

Elizabeth “Liz” Gibbs O’Donnell was born during a blizzard on December 3, 1942 in Jamestown, NY to Stanton and Grace Gibbs, granddaughter of Ethel and Gerald Gibbs and Edward and Anne Smalenberger. She graduated from Westfield Academy and Central School, from Cornell University with a degree in Home Economics and from the University of Denver with a Master’s degree in Higher Education. She passed away on March 14, 2021, in Dallas, TX. Marriage to Bruce O’Donnell brought two of the highlights of her life: daughters Susan and Kimberly followed by 4 delightful grandchildren: David and Andrew Bondy and Ashley and Nathan Conlon and two sons-in-law: J.D. Bondy and Chris Conlon. Her career path took her through several turns: Head resident at the University of Denver, parish secretary, parish administrator and parish visitor for the Episcopal Church and administrator for the Girl Scouts in Maine. She was a Lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and she received the highest volunteer recognition in Girl Scouts: The Thanks Badge II, which recognizes individuals who provide exceptional service that impacts the entire council or the entire Girl Scout movement. Her favorite place to live was Maine and after moving to Dallas she continued to visit Maine on a regular basis. She loved to travel. One of her greatest joys was traveling each summer with her family while her children were growing up. She visited all 50 states as well as several countries in Europe and nearly every Canadian province. Her favorite place was England. Through her love of singing, she found a venue for choral singing in every community where she lived. With the St. John’s Episcopal Church choir in Bangor, Maine, she made two choir tours to England, Scotland and Wales. Liz had a passion for food, cooking and feeding others. She grew up with grandparents who considered food and mealtimes to be a sign of love. No one ever left her grandmother’s table hungry and she continued this tradition. She was fond of trying new recipes and sharing with family and friends. She was ordained to the Diaconate in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Maine in 2004 and she served in the area of pastoral care at both St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bangor, Maine, and the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas.   In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development: episcopalrelief.org A small, private family service will be held on April 24, 2021, at 2PM at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.  The service will be livestreamed on Facebook for others to attend. Link for her livestreamed service: https://youtu.be/HzKOypPlkTo   Please leave the family condolences and share memories on this website.  

Arrangements under the direction of:

Aria Cremation Service and Funeral Home

19310 Preston Road

Dallas, Texas 75252

(214) 306-6700

    Steve and Maria Munson
    21 Mar 2021
    7:00am

    Blessings for a life well lived. Susan, J.D., Andrew and David, may peace and comfort fill your hearts.

    Wendy Cone
    21 Mar 2021
    9:45am

    I had the pleasure of knowing Mother Liz through Transfiguration. She was a joy to be around and her she will be deeply missed.

    Susan Ritter
    21 Mar 2021
    12:53pm

    After reading your mothers obituary, I understand where your kindness comes from Kim. She was clearly a remarkable person. I am sorry for your loss. Keep all your memories of your mom close to your heart, she will never be far away from you. My condolences to your family.

    Trudy & Richard Smith
    21 Mar 2021
    3:22pm

    Dear Susan and Kimberly, we share in your sorrow at the death of your good mother, and we thank God for her wonderful life. Liz was a fine lady and we’re so happy that our paths crossed several years ago. We’ve had Liz and you in our prayers, and ask God to give you His blessed solace. Much love, Aunt Trudy and Uncle Dick

    Leanne Justiss
    21 Mar 2021
    10:11pm

    My heart reaches out to Liz’s family. I am so sorry to hear of her sudden passing. She participated in many Kappa Delta activities, and will be missed. Prayers to the family. Leanne

    Carolyn Leick
    25 Mar 2021
    12:17pm

    I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Liz who was a beacon of wisdom, kindness toward all and and a faith that led many. It is hard to realize I will not receive another Christmas card, the sort that always lifted my spirits!

    Martha Dodge
    25 Mar 2021
    1:16pm

    Liz and I served together on the Girl Scout Board of Directors. She was so talented, thoughtful, and kind and I enjoyed sharing Girl Scouts and being an Episcopalian with her. My deepest sympathy to you all.

    Jan Matter
    1 Apr 2021
    11:06am

    I am so sorry to learn of Liz’s sudden death. We were in the Deacon Formation Program together. I always looked forward to seeing Liz. She was always a warm, friendly compassionate person. It was a blessing to have known her. God’s love and peace to her family.

    Carolyn Hagaman
    11 Apr 2021
    9:05am

    —Liz was a wonderful friend from our first days as freshmen at Cornell. I was lucky to have all these years with her in my “sphere!”

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K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

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