Amy S. O'Donnell

Amy Sumner O’Donnell passed away peacefully at home on June 11, 2026, at the age of 71, after complications from COPD and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Born on November 15, 1954, in Washington, DC, she was the third of eight children of John Joseph and Joanne O’Donnell. Amy grew up in a close-knit family and developed a lifelong love of sports at an early age. She played on the girls’ basketball team at St. Jane de Chantal School that won the CYO Championship in eighth grade. She then started as a freshman forward at Ursuline Academy in Bethesda, where she was an instrumental member of the team that captured the Catholic Girls High School Championship during the 1968-69 basketball season.

Amy graduated from Ursuline Academy and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. She later earned a Master’s Equivalency (MEQ) through the Montgomery County Public Schools.

From 1977 until her retirement in 2010, she taught mathematics to sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in Montgomery County, serving at Eastern Junior High, Brown Middle, Westland Middle, and E. Brooke Lee Middle Schools. Known for her straightforward, no-nonsense style and sharp sense of humor, Amy was deeply dedicated to her students. She remembered birthdays and special occasions with personalized cards, offered extra help and summer classes, and lived by the belief that no student should be left behind. Many former students visited, wrote, or called years later to thank her for the lasting impact she had made.

An avid sports fan, Amy loyally followed Washington-area teams, including the Redskins/Commanders, Bullets/Wizards, and Senators/Nationals, for decades. However, her Catholic Faith was what gave greatest meaning to her life. She often said that the greatest joy and gift of her life was coming back to the Church after a long period away from the sacraments. She attended daily Mass before her teaching duties each morning and maintained a deep devotion to many saints, with a special devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Family and friends frequently asked her to pray for their intentions, and she always prayed for them fervently, later following up to ask how they were doing.Amy is survived by her siblings James O’Donnell, Mary Dellatorre (Dan), Paul O’Donnell (Robin), Mark O’Donnell, and Matthew O’Donnell (Julie), her 13 nephews and nieces and their children, as well as her longtime companion Bruce Holland, who stood by her side for many years and was especially supportive during her later health challenges. She was predeceased by her parents, her older sister Anne Donnally, and her younger brother, Rev. Stephen J. O’Donnell.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 11007 Montgomery Road, Beltsville, MD 20705. Interment will follow at a later date at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, MD.

Amy will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched through her faith, teaching, and quiet strength.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to : The Gabriel Project at: https://gabrielproject.org/

Those unable to attend in person may view the Funeral Mass via livestream by using the following link:

Meeting ID: 871 9968 7960

Passcode (for calling-in): 684050

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87199687960?pwd=OUpIMTVUL01rT0JSTEgwUWdOT1RZZz09

or call-in by dialing:1 (301) 715-8592