Dear fellow members,
With deep sadness I have to tell you we lost a great friend of Lake Underwood on Monday. Justin O’Donnell passed away. I know most of you know he fought a long battle with cancer. I’m told he worked right up until the very end. I’m not surprised.
Justin was involve in every aspect of the club throughout his long membership here. The list goes on and on. He got us involved in the Forestry Stewardship program. He took on monumental clubhouse and grounds improvements. Many times trail mowing or road maintenance would get done unseen by most of us because he was up there doing it during the week. Justin took a lead role not only for the club but the community as well in property leasing for gas exploration, which eventually lead to our involvement in the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance; the lease had the best property owner protections around while also giving us very large bonus payments. He was involved with the ecological committee and dam improvements. Justin was always looking out for the club. A few years ago he saw the roof for sale at B&E scoops and suggested we take it and make a picnic pavilion. With his lead we did it. He loved hunting and fishing, and even pancake flipping at the Sunday breakfast for the 125 club anniversary.
All this said, the board of trustees recently elected to recognize Justin with an honorary membership. The hope was that we could present it to him at the annual picnic; that wasn’t meant to be. He certainly was deserving and I know he would have appreciated it.
He was committed to the preservation and improvement of the Lake Underwood Nimrod Club and leaves us with a better place for it.
At the annual meeting this year, Justin expressed how much he treasured Lake Underwood and this friendship with fellow members.
We will dearly miss you Justin
Sincerely,
Chuck Westgate
FYI – A memorial will be discussed by family to be done at a later date.
