John Stanton O’Donnell, Jr., of Manchester, NH and formerly of Framingham, MA died Friday, December 27, 2024, after a period of declining health. Born in Wareham, MA and raised in Framingham, John was the son of the late John Stanton O’Donnell Sr and Jeanne Ann O’Donnell
John graduated from Framingham South High School, then enlisted in the US Airforce. Later, John joined the workforce in various trades including technical office equipment repair as well as residential painting. Furthering his education in mechanics, he graduated from the jet engine mechanics program from East Coast Aero Tech in 2002.
John happily found a loving and fulfilling relationship late in life and married his wife Emily Barlow, who sadly left us too soon in 2012. Her love and impact on John and the family was a profound blessing.
John loved a simple life and, though his needs were few, he enjoyed many interests. From a young age, he was mechanically inclined and began repairing his own cars as a teenager. John was a firearms instructor and enjoyed target shooting, skeet and trap at the gun range, as well as the science and study of ballistics. John had a deep respect for nature and loved the outdoors. He was a beekeeper and instilled in others a regard for the importance of bees within the cycle of life. John also liked learning about the stock market and dabbled in a little day trading to test his own ideas. He was an avid and knowledgeable coin collector all his life. He loved reading and acquiring information and though he could be described as a loner, he could hold an interesting and varied conversation with anyone for hours. John was a good cook, a meticulous bread baker, and coffee lover, and liked good jazz music.
In his later years, John developed a sincere spirituality and a valued membership in the Chestnut Hill Chapel in New Hampshire along with several meaningful friendships there. His relationship with Jesus and the Bible became important to John and he often explained to family members the peace it brought him in life as he in turn encouraged others.
He will be dearly missed.
John is survived by his three siblings Ann O’Donnell Cobleigh, Christine O’Donnell, and Thomas O’Donnell, his two nieces Rhiannon O’Donnell and Olivia Cobleigh, brother-in-law Steven Cobleigh, and several cousins. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his late wife Emily Barlow O’Donnell.
Family and friends are invited to honor and remember John’s life by gathering for a time of visitation in the Norton, McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home, 53 Beech St. Framingham on Friday morning, January 24th beginning at 10 o’clock. His services will begin at 11 AM. Interment will follow in St. Stephen Cemetery, Framingham.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to: the VA Hospital that provided so much care for John, https://www.va.gov/boston-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate/#donate, or for the bees, https://www.nhbeekeepers.org/about/about-nhba
To share a memory with John’s family kindly visit www.nortonfuneralhome.com
McCarthy McKinney Lawler Funeral Home