Ellen O’Donnell, a fixture in Chicago before moving to Greensburg, Ky., passed away March 9. She was 59.
Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, O’Donnell was a lifelong White Sox fan. Also, being a South Sider, St Patrick’s Day was the most important day of the year for her.
O’Donnell was a longtime employee at Thunderbird Catering before opening Razmataz, a women’s bar, in 1986 with partner and then-lover Gwen Meyer. (The business was engulfed in flames on Christmas Eve of 1990.) O’Donnell then opened the nightclub Visions by herself in the early ’90s. Showing her commitment to civic duties, she was a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Human Relations.
She moved to Kentucky in the mid-’90s. There, O’Donnell made friends quickly, establishing her own local support network.
O’Donnell is survived by her niece Kimmy, ‘grandchild’ Shelby and many dear friends, including Trinka, Gwen, Cindy, Toni, Pro, Angel, Mercy, Lynn, Claudia and Rosie.
Before cremation, a wake was held March 11 and funeral services were March 12 at Cowherd & Parrott Funeral Home in Greensburg.