Judith R. O'Donovan Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

We are deeply saddened to report the death of Judith Ray O’Donovan, age 63, after waging a valiant battle with Covid and preexisting lung conditions. Judy passed on Sunday, March 20, 2022, with her mother and three sisters at her bedside. Born on June 11, 1958, in Painesville, Ohio, Judy was the daughter of Raymond O’Donovan, Sr., and Louise Tingle O’Donovan. The second oldest of five siblings, she was feisty with dark curly hair and blue eyes. In grade school, played sports and sang in the chorus. Judy was fiercely independent and loved animals “perhaps more than people,” one work associate affectionately described. Professionally, Judy worked in a business and accounting capacity. For at least two decades, she was employed by Tom Adamson Plumbing Contractors of Chicago, Illinois, overseeing accounts, union agreements, as well as coordinating a network of plumbers to major construction sites in the city. Judy remodeled her Countryside, Illinois home herself, with the help of her husband Bruce Kulpit. In 2016, they both retired to idyllic Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Judy effortlessly made dozens of friends. Neighbors in the Pawleys Island community enjoyed seeing Judy walk her two beloved dogs, Maggie and Zoe. Her love of animals continued with her volunteer work at the All4Paws Animal Rescue, where she was named as their Treasurer. A longtime vegetarian, Judy was environmentally conscious, having purchased one of the first Toyota Priuses to roll off the assembly line. She loved her backyard birds and squirrels and tending to her garden. Her musical tastes were wide-ranging, and she enjoyed going to concerts, including the Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago. Once she accompanied her nephew Collin to a Nine Inch Nails concert. She also loved to golf with her husband, Bruce, until her physical limitations brought on by rheumatoid arthritis prevented her from being as active. Judy was preceded in death by her father, Raymond Lee O’Donovan, Sr., and her brother, Raymond O’Donovan, Jr. Surviving her are her husband, Bruce Kulpit of Pawleys Island, SC, as well as her mother, Louise O’Donovan, of Plainfield, Illinois, and her sisters, Cheryl O’Donovan Urbanik of Schaumburg, Illinois, Lisa O’Donovan of Naperville, Illinois and Susan O’Donovan of Plainfield, Illinois. Judy is also survived by her niece Samantha and nephews Collin, Andrew, Matthew, Ryan, Justin and Daniel. For the past 14 years, Judy formed a close bond with half-sister Raylene Foster of Rockford, Michigan, who also mourns her loss. A Celebration of Life Service will be held sometime this fall. Please contact Louise O’Donovan at (630) 816-9866 for future details. Goldfinch Funeral Home, Beach Chapel is assisting the O’Donovan family.

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Judith R. O'Donovan

June 11, 1958 - March 20, 2022