Madeline "Mimi" O'Donnell DNP, NP

Madeline “Mimi” O’Donnell DNP, NP of Chelsea passed away peacefully August 23rd at Massachusetts General Hospital. Preceded in death by her parents William J. and Madeline H. (Houlihan) O’Donnell. Left to cherish her memories are her many Chicago cousins especially Katherine Przybyla (William), Joshua Przybyla (Angie) and Nicole Przybyla.  Mimi is also survived by her valued Chicago childhood friend, Jean McAuliffe (Bernard), Boston “family” Theresa Flynn Mahoney (Dennis) of Dorchester and Patricia Kelley (Jeffrey) and family of New Hampshire. Mimi will be held forever in the hearts of her Boston area nursing colleagues, special circle of condominium friends, fun filled hobby enthusiasts and her feline companions Jack and Jill. 

Madeline O’Donnell, known as Mimi to all who knew and were fond of her, had a strong Catholic faith and Chicago Irish family upbringing and it was strengthened as she spent over fifty years of adult life in Boston. Her “Chicago Irish” soon gave way to her new “Boston Irish” tradition of celebrating at the MGH/Harvard Gardens.

Madeline O’Donnell, graduated with a Diploma in Nursing from the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Mo. Thereafter she continued her education in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Northeastern University; a Master of Science degree from Boston University; a Post-Master’s Certificate in Primary Care Nursing, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. As this list of educational institutions demonstrates, Dr. O’Donnell was an ecumenical scholar.

Upon graduation from her basic nursing program, Dr. O’Donnell came to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and remained there for almost 40 years before she moved to the MGH Institute of Health Professions, a part of the organizational family. At MGH, she started as a staff nurse in a Cardiac Surgical Unit, became a Team Leader and the Unit Teacher. As a Cardiac Clinical Nurse Specialist, her activities ranged from being the liaison between cardiac surgeons and referring physicians, acting nursing co-coordinator of the ventricular assist program including pre-op and discharge teaching, seeing patients in clinic, teaching community emergency services; and as nursing coordinator of the Valve and CABG pathway. She was the first nurse coordinator for the LVAD program which involved surgical implantation of left ventricular assistive devices as patients were awaiting a heart transplant. Mimi is known for having taught and mentored hundreds of nurses in cardiac surgical care and for teaching nurses the intricacies of their role in open heart surgery. As is obvious, Mimi combined intellect and technical skill with a caring approach for those who were her patients and students.

All of this was before her role at her Alma Mater, the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP) where she served as a Clinical Assistant Professor beginning in January 2013. In addition to her role in teaching future nurses, Dr. O’Donnell participated in research with her IHP colleagues. When the research abstract was accepted, it was not necessary to twist Mimi’s arm to go to Dublin, Ireland to share the results of the investigation. It was Dublin, and she was an O’Donnell. She presented the results of the study entitled “Someone to watch over me: feeling safe and cared for in clinical settings” in 2017 at a meeting of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society in Nursing. With Dr. Madeleine O’Donnell at their bedside, patients had someone to watch over them, and students had someone to inspire them to make patients feel cared for and safe.

If you didn’t find Mimi in the halls of MGH, you would find her pampering her current pair of kittens, or you would find her rearranging her distinctive porcelain cat collection. Mimi was always engaged in her many crafts and hobbies which included doll design, candy making, crocheting, dining with friends and traveling.  She will be deeply missed.   

The family is sincerely thankful for the weekly professional and supportive care Mimi received for over five years at the Fresenius Kidney Care Center in Medford, MA. In addition, the family is thankful for the care provided by the MGH physicians and nurses at her final hours of greatest need.       

Funeral Mass at St. Agatha Church, Milton Monday morning August 29th at 10:30 am.  Visiting hours at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home 326 Granite Ave Milton Monday morning prior to the Mass from 9:00 to 10:00 am.  Burial will be in Chicago, IL.  In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation to the School of Nursing at the MGH Institute of Health Professions (www.giving.mghihp.edu) - in memory of Madeline O’Donnell. 

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