Obituary of Donnelly Emmett O'Neill

Donnelly Emmett O’Neill was born in 1933 and grew up in Mountain Home, Idaho. He was the 2nd oldest of 4 O’Neill children and was preceded in death by his siblings Kathleen Kienlen, Nancy Hamilton and John O’Neill. He came from a long history of Irish & English Immigrants. Don earned a PhD in School Counseling. Throughout his career, he worked as a High School Counselor, school administrator and was the founder of AIM, an alternative High School in the David Douglas School District in Portland. He met his wife (Ann Cameron) when they both were teaching at La Grande High School in Eastern Oregon (their first school district jobs). Ann passed away in 2003 due to Pancreatic Cancer. Don and Ann “Chased Equity” in Northeast Portland, moving 4 times in the same neighborhood (Argay Terrace); spending over 50 years in the area. Don’s legacy continues through his son David and his wife Lorena Flores Gutierrez, and daughter Nancy, her husband Steven Bratt and their children Dana, Erin, Aidan and Kristin. David, a senior manager at Daimler Truck North America, resides in Portland and Nancy is a teacher residing in the Vancouver area. Don and Ann also opened their home to a number of foster children over the years including Dennis Harmon and later Gary Haven who became one of Don’s closest lifelong friends. Don always loved being around people. He had a quick, sarcastic wit, and was always eager to engage with the world around him. He and Ann traveled extensively before Ann’s passing, including trips all over the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Ireland, and China. For the past 18 years, Don continued his journeys taking his children and Grandchildren along for the ride. He also had a great love for the mountains; especially those in Central Idaho, where he always dreamed of hitting the mother lode. Don was a good friend to all who needed one. He was extremely trusting and generous, sometimes to a fault. He volunteered at Saint Francis Dining Hall in Portland and gave generously to numerous charities. He spent the last 8 years of his life in Assisted living and finally in Memory Care where he valiantly fought Vascular Dementia. Don passed away peacefully on November 22, 2021 with family by his side.