HALLOWELL – Ann O’Donnell, 97, a long-time resident of Augusta and more recently of Hallowell, died Thursday, May 1, after a short illness.

She was born on Dec. 29, 1910, in County Mayo, Ireland. She was christened Katherine Ann Concannon by her parents Michael and Katherine (nee Sloyan), who were farmers in the village of Carrowbeg in County Mayo. The fifth of seven children, she emigrated, after a primary education, to Taunton, Mass., where her two older sisters had settled. There she worked primarily taking care of young children until she married John E. O’Donnell, a resident of Taunton.

Her early years of marriage were spent as wife, mother, and homemaker in Taunton and then New Haven, Conn. In the fall of 1952, the family, having grown to include five children, moved to Maine, and after a winter on a rented farm in Winthrop, took residence in a large home just inside the western city limits of Augusta. With two and a half acres at her disposal, she cultivated both flowers and vegetables at that site for more than 45 years, deriving great pleasure from the outdoor work.

For many years, a communicant of St. Mary Catholic Church, she played an active role in charitable, religious and spiritual activities of that parish, in addition to activities at St. Paul Center. She also volunteered at the hospital and for many other school and charitable organizations.

In mid-life, she took up the game of golf with her husband. As with her other activities, she participated with vigor and good spirits and remained a member of the Augusta Country Club for more than 40 years, playing regularly until she was almost 90.

After the death of her husband in 1979, she lived a simple but energetic life, continuing to focus on outdoor activity and family, but also traveling to Ireland, England and Israel. She enjoyed the company of her friends, and was happiest when spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Seldom at a loss for words, she told personal stories and recounted daily events with relish, all in much the same brogue with which she arrived from Ireland.

She leaves behind a sister, Ellen Concannon of Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland; son, John E. (Jack) and his wife, Jackie O’Donnell, of Eunice, La.; daughter, Katherine A. and her husband, David T. Greenleaf, of Norway; son, Joseph M. and his wife, Joan G. Price, of Monmouth; son, James P. and his wife, Mary Wills, of Seattle, Wash.; son, Stephen and his wife, Judy S. Brooks, of Monmouth; nephew, William Concannon of Manchester, England; a sister-in-law, Rose G. O’Donnell of Augusta; nine grandchildren, William O’Donnell, David M. Greenleaf, Daniel J. Greenleaf, Jennifer C. Greenleaf, John Ezechiel O’Donnell, Diana K. O’Donnell, Megan I. Greenleaf, Jacob E. O’Donnell and Lillian M. O’Donnell; nine great-grandchildren; two grandnieces; and two grandnephews.

The family is appreciative of the loving care she received from the staff at Hillside Terrace.