Mrs. Odette O'Connell

of Old Saybrook/Westbrook, CT

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved mother Odette “Dee”

O’Connell, 94 on January 27, 2025.

Odette was born on September 8, 1930 in Willimantic, CT. She met her late husband William J.

O’Connell at the age of 15 and together they married on her 21st birthday.

She is survived by her four children William (Margaret) O’Connell, Daniel (Barbara) O’Connell,

John (Alena) O’Connell, and Maribeth Malhotra. She also leaves behind her five grandchildren:

William (Sarah) Malhotra, Britney Malhotra, Micheal (Alexandria) O’Connell, Thomas

O’Connell, Christopher Long, and her great-granddaughter, Riley Mae O’Connell.

Odette had many jobs in her lifetime. She and her husband Bill opened the O’Connell Funeral

Home of Westbrook in 1962 and serviced the community until 1983 when he had passed. During

that time, she raised her four children and worked at CVH in Middletown along with many other

private nursing jobs. In 1988, she and her son-in-law Sunil Malhotra opened Creative Cooking

and had many memorable years working together in the restaurant. Later in life, she worked at

the Old Saybrook Shop & Shop until she retired at 80.

Odette was an extraordinary wife, mother, and grandmother whose love and strength shaped

our family in ways that words can hardly capture. She was an amazing friend to the late Evelyn

Chiarito, Melody Forrest, and Eunice Palumbo.

She will be deeply missed by all.

A special thank you to the nurses and the aides at Gladeview of Old Saybrook, who were so

attentive to all her needs and so easily recognized the special person that she was – we cannot

thank you enough.

Catholic Mass at St. Mark’s Church in Westbrook at 10AM on Saturday, February 1, 2025. Burial

ceremony to follow at Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to St.

Jude’s Children’s Hospital in her honor.