A native of Gary, Ind., Dr. O'Donnell served in the Navy in the States during World War II.
After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame. In summers, he worked in steel mills in Gary and became interested in the labor movement, his daughter, Kathleen Conley, said.
He earned a master's degree in industrial relations from Loyola University in Chicago and a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin.
Before joining the Villanova faculty, he taught at Loyola and at the University of San Francisco. From 1962 to 1967, he worked for the Department of Labor in Washington and taught evening courses at Georgetown and George Washington Universities.
He contributed articles to professional journals and served on the board of the Pennsylvania Labor History Society. He was a longtime Democratic committeeman in Malvern.
Dr. O'Donnell enjoyed art, jazz, hiking, and swimming, especially in Lake Michigan. He was a member of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Malvern and sang in the church choir. Before becoming ill, he was working on a book about his genealogy, his daughter said.
Since 1953, he had been married to Rosemarie Kohne O'Donnell. They met in Gary and had their first date when they were both vacationing in Paris.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Dr. O'Donnell is survived by sons Hugh, Daniel, and Thomas; and seven grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Friday, June 24, at St. Thomas of Villanova Roman Catholic Church on the Villanova University campus. Friends may call from 10 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.
Donations may be made to Glenmary Home Missioners, Box 465618, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246.
Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.
