Helen Marie O'Dell

Helen Marie O'Dell, age 89, died Thursday, March 19, 2015 at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township, Michigan. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 19, 1925, daughter of the late Dennis Duffy and the late Louise (nee: Rabideau) Duffy. Helen will be remembered for her smiling Irish eyes, big heart, sense of humor, and cheerful disposition. Her door was always open to family and friends, and she was happiest when her home was filled with people laughing and having a good time. When her kids were growing up, she was the "fun mom" who always made their friends feel welcome to come over and hang out. It was not uncommon for her to have a basement full of hungry teenage boys that she was happy to feed, most likely with one of her signature dishes, "porcupines."One of Helen's great passions was traveling. She was always eager to see new things and meet new people, always remembering to pack her sense of adventure on every trip. She visited 47 states, drove cross country on the historic Route 66, toured castles in Ireland, enjoyed fish and chips in England, and hit the high seas on several cruises. Her daughter recalls one cruise where, after a long tiring day of excursions, she suggested that it was time to go to bed, but her mother had other plans. "You can go to bed, but I'm going to check out the sing-a-long in the piano bar." Helen sang into the wee hours of the morning, and greeted her 30 new friends by name the next day at breakfast. That was classic Helen.The true center of Helen's universe was her three children. She always worked a physically demanding full-time job, yet managed to bake the cupcakes for the bake sales, chaperone the field trips, make Halloween costumes from scratch, and spend her Friday evenings shivering in the bleachers watching her son Mike's football games. When her kids would ask her what she wanted for her birthday or Christmas, her answer was always the same: "I just want everyone to be happy." If her kids were doing well, that was her greatest gift.When Helen became a grandma at 63, a whole new world of love opened up to her. Surely there was never a more perfect child born than her grandson Ryan. From her first glimpse through the nursery window, he had her heart and the feeling was mutual. When Ryan was 3 she told him she wouldn't see him for two weeks because she was going on vacation. "I'll miss you grandma," he said. "But I'll keep you in my heart."When Ryan's sister Katie was born two years later, she had her grandma wrapped around her little finger from the start. Helen delighted in all things little girl. They had tea parties together, played restaurant endlessly, and enjoyed shopping sprees to the dollar store. If grandma was over, you could bet Katie was snuggling in her lap.Seventeen years after Katie was born, Helen was over the moon with joy to welcome her third grandchild, Camryn, home from Vietnam. Now a seasoned grandma, she taught Camryn important things like how to make perfect, fluffy scrambled eggs, and how many minutes it takes to color an Easter egg just the right shade of pink. Camryn taught her grandma the importance of making and keeping a pinky promise. Together, Ryan, Katie and Camryn brought years of joy to Helen, and made memories with their grandma they will cherish for the rest of their lives.Helen was the beloved mother of Pat (Kari), Peggy, and Mike. Loving grandma of Ryan, Katie, and Camryn. She was predeceased by her toddler daughter, Debbie, and the children's father Glen O'Dell, her siblings Paul, Douglas, Dennis, Edward, James, Kathleen Clark, and Kolleen Duffy. Visitation for Mrs. O'Dell will be held on Sunday, March 22nd from 3:00 - 9:00 pm, with a 7pm Rosary Service, at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 1/2 Mile) in Warren. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959,...or the Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. Please share memories of Helen at her memory book above.