Michael J. McDonnell
- May 2, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: May 22, 2023
1947-2023
OBITUARY
Michael J. McDonnell, age 75, passed away suddenly on Saturday, March 31, 2023 at his home in Glen Oaks, NY. He is survived by his sister Maureen Anderson, brothers-in-law Robert Anderson and James Lynch, ex-wife and special friend Catherine Besterman as well as many nieces and nephews. Born in New York in 1947, he was the son of the late Michael and Nora McDonnell.
Michael spent much of his life as an entrepreneur. In his later years he was a proud member of The Knights of Columbus Council 2429. He spent many hours assisting with fund raising endeavors. His brother Knights affectionately called him, "Father Mike".
Mike will be remembered for his great sense of humor and always started his phone calls and greetings with "Top of the Morning to You." He was helpful to many of his neighbors, retired NYPD officers and golf friends. He also was well known for bringing a bag of the best jelly donuts and cheese danishes to his friends and family. A memorial service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to your favorite charity in his name.
Michael was a fun loving brother who brought much joy to those who knew him. He was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus. He will be remembered for his generosity, his great sense of humor and caring for people. I miss his phone calls. A great guy!!!
Mike and I met in Feb. 1967at a card game in his basement. We became instant friends. For the next 3 1/2 years we did all kinds of goofy stuff. We reconnected about 5 years ago. It was like we were never apart. I miss you BROTHER. See you in heaven.
My Uncle Michael was about 10 years younger than my mother, so he seemed quite cool - he was a teenager in the mid 60's whereas my mother already had a couple of children. I remember he once gave me some vinyl record albums of his. The 2 that I remember were The Hippy Hippy Shake (apparently by the Swinging Blue Jeans!) and Bridge Over Troubled Water - which remains my favourite song by Simon & Garfunkel. Uncle Michael was a lovely man, a kind soul and he will be missed.
Trish Anderson
Michael was a very good guy and we had a lot of laughs over the years. Walter and I had a wonderful experience assisting him, when he had his heart attack, a number of years ago. At the time, he had a vending machine business. We went to each business every day, for a couple of months, in his truck and brought all the goodies for the vending machines. As we got to each company, we would go in, find the machines, open them up and resupply them, then retrieve the cash. On to the next business, etc. Then we went to Michael's apartment and gave him the bag of money and restocked the truck for the next day. It…