Mary Louise O'Donnell Ray

Mary Louise O’Donnell Ray (nee Buhr)

April 14, 1938 – December 23, 2025

Mary Louise O’Donnell Ray, recently of Florence, SC, and formerly of Bloomington, IN and Rochester Hills, MI, peacefully passed away at McLeod Medical Center in Florence, SC on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, following acute medical complications.

Mary Lou was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lived there until she was 6, when the family moved to Indianapolis. She attended Shortridge High School, graduating in 1956. She attended Indiana University, graduating with a degree in Education in 1960, teaching full time prior to having children, while substitute-teaching for many years following. She remained a loyal Indiana Hoosier fan her whole life, and enjoyed many football and basketball games, both in person and from home.

She met the love of her life, Tom O’Donnell, in 1973 during the Memorial Day and Indianapolis 500 weekend in Indianapolis. Tom and Mary Lou had a whirlwind romance, and in 30 days they were married, moving to Michigan, and joining two families together. Their love affair lasted a lifetime. They made wonderful friends together, including a group of Irish-descent families in Rochester Hills dubbing themselves the Irish Mafia, and the many friends they made at Eagle Pointe in Bloomington, IN.

Mary Lou was very artistic. In college she cataloged various species of flowers, trees and weeds in her botany class, and her drawings were breathtaking. She participated in garden club and entered beautiful floral arrangements in competition. Her artistic design skills spilled over to her own beautiful gardens she planted as well as the decor of her truly welcoming home. Her home was always a beacon of light and love to those in her life. Decorating her home for the seasons was one of her many talents. One always felt the newness of Spring with birds, bunnies, and flowers sprinkled about, or crispness of Fall with pumpkins and leaves, but Christmastime was always her favorite time. She was able to create that magical feeling in her home, with her trees, arrangements and pictures. Joy, love and laughter were always present. The scent of Christmas encircled you as she thoroughly enjoyed baking cookies at this time of year. Using special family recipes that have been handed down for generations, including our much-loved Swedish gingerbreads called Pepparkakor, she would remind us of family stories and love shared.

Mary Lou had such a capacity to love. She truly loved beyond measure. Her family was so fortunate for all the encouragement, advice and compassion she offered to each of us. We were touched by her giving spirit, her love of life, and the positive outlook she shared. She loved her grandkids dearly and was tickled in the past few years as the great grands began to be born. This Christmas, it was with great joy that she decided that all the great grandchildren should receive a specially selected teddy bear from Great Grandma.

Throughout her life Mary Lou opened her heart not only to family and friends but also to more dear fur-babies than can be counted. A true animal lover, she had a tenderness and caring that set a family standard.

Mary Lou was a thoughtful, caring friend that shared all that she had. Whether it was advice, a hug, or a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. She always made time and was happy to help. She was in turn blessed with a wonderful circle of friends. Even when she moved to South Carolina, she remained a part of her Bloomington community by joining Smithville Christian Church services on Facebook and participating in the weekly neighborhood bible study via Zoom, while individually connecting by phone. She also developed lovely friendships in Florence, where she had continued to live independently for the last 5 years of her life.

Mary Lou is survived by her loving daughters: Amy (Mark) Kesmodel, and Jennifer (Alex) Petrovich; adored grandchildren: Emily (Scott) Diebel, Nicholas (Veronica) Petrovich, Hannah (Michael) Marshall, Cristina (Marshall) Howell, Margaret (Andrew) Schickler and Harrison Petrovich; great-grandchildren, William and Ruth Diebel, Austin and Miles Marshall, and Grant Schickler; and loved step children: Thomas N. (Beth) O’Donnell Jr, John O’Donnell, Steve (Kim) O’Donnell, Kathy (Eric) Dewey, and their extended families. She is preceded in death by her best friend and husband, Thomas N. O’Donnell, sister Nancy Jane Bielach, and parents George and Ruth Buhr (nee Olson).

A memorial gathering will be held in Florence, SC in January, and another memorial service will be planned in Bloomington, IN in the spring, where she will be laid to rest. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to St. Jude’s or Tunnel to Towers, two of her favorite charities.