Joseph D. O’Donnell Jr., 82, a lifelong Chicora resident and a retired District and Senior Magisterial Judge serving Butler County, went peacefully to be with the Lord on Saturday morning, May 16, 2026, at Butler Memorial Hospital, while in the company of his loving family.
Joseph was born in Butler on January 31, 1944. He was the son of the late Joseph D. O’Donnell Sr. and Mary E. Callihan O’Donnell. Joe was a 1962 graduate of Karns City Area High School, where he was a talented athlete, playing basketball and baseball. In his earlier years, he was employed at Pullman Standard in Butler. He was a longtime board member, officer, and treasurer of the United Steelworkers Local #1415 in Butler. Joe served the local union in many capacities, working diligently to improve the livelihoods of his union brothers.
Later, Joe was employed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as an auditor. He earned his Magisterial District Judge certification from the Minor Judiciary Education Board in 1988. He was a well-known, three-term Magisterial District Judge, serving District 50-3-02 in Chicora from 1988 to 2006. Joe was highly respected among his peers and his district’s residents. Following his retirement in 2006, he continued serving Butler County as a Senior Magisterial District Judge. Joe was active on various committees of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts in Harrisburg.
Joe was a longtime active member of Mater Dolorosa Roman Catholic Church in Chicora and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. He was a life member of the Chicora Moose Lodge, an avid golfer, and a member of both the Chicora Moose Golf League and the Butler County Horseshoe League. Joe was also an avid hunter and fisherman and a life member of Happy Hunters and the North American Hunting Association. He traveled to all fifty states and hunted in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Kansas, and five provinces in Canada. He also served as a longtime member of the board of directors of Passavant Memorial Homes.
Joe is survived by the love of his life, his wife Berniece M. Neff O’Donnell, whom he married at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in the village of North Oakland on June 8, 1963. He is also survived by his four beloved children: Daniel J. O’Donnell and his friend, Thom Korber, of Exton; Leanne M. Herrmann and her husband, Shawn, of Smithfield, NC; Douglas A. O’Donnell and his wife, Melissa, of Cranberry Township; and Troy V. O’Donnell and his wife, Heather, of Wake Forest, NC.
Joe was affectionately known as “Pop Pop” or “Grandpa” to his grandchildren, whom he adored. They include: Mariah O’Donnell; Brianna McNeal and her husband, Sam; Ian O’Donnell; Callihan Herrmann and her fiancé, Bobby Vasquez; Shawn Patrick Herrmann and his wife, Lindsay; Michael O’Donnell and his fiancée, Isabella Petitta; Allison O’Donnell and her wife, Lauren Drumheiser; Emma O’Donnell; Kennedy O’Donnell; and Brodie O’Donnell. In addition to his grandchildren, Joe cherished his two precious great-granddaughters, Capri O’Donnell and Maylah Herrmann.
Also surviving are his brothers and sisters: Anne Pistorius of Chicora; Jane Fair and her husband, Kenneth, of Chicora; Salli O’Donnell of Chicora; Colleen Schantz and her husband, Lowell, of Lower Burrell; Dennis O’Donnell and his wife, Joan, of Greensboro, NC; Patrick O’Donnell and his wife, Sharon, of Chicora; and Bernadette Francisco and her husband, Brent, of Chicora; as well as a number of brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Vincent and Rose Marie Neff.
Friends will be received at the Hile Funeral Home of Chicora, 339 Chicora Fenelton Road, Chicora, from 6–8 p.m. Wednesday and 1–3 and 6–8 p.m. Thursday. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday at Mater Dolorosa Roman Catholic Church in Chicora, with Rev. Matt McClain, pastor of St. Clare of Assisi Parish, officiating. Interment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery in the village of North Oakland.
Memorial contributions in Joe’s memory may be made to Mater Dolorosa, St. Clare of Assisi Parish, 864 Chicora Road, Chicora, PA 16025. For more information or to leave a condolence, please visit www.hilefh.com.