Sarah Marie McDonnell

Sarah Marie McDonnell (née Smith) died peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, February 14th at Mayo Clinic after a short battle with cancer.

Born on July 24, 1951 in Davenport to Arthur Duncan and Mary Rita Smith (née Costigan), Sarah was the only girl in a large Irish Catholic family with six boys (James “Quinn”, John “Joe”, Peter, Christopher, Timothy, and Terry Michael.)

Sarah attended Saint Mary’s Catholic School and was a proud graduate of the Villa de Chantal in Rock Island. She attended Scott Community College of Eastern Iowa for her Practical Nurse Education degree and an Associate Degree in Nursing. Continuing her education, she then went on to get her Bachelor of Arts in Special Studies from St. Ambrose College in 1987 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1993 from Marycrest College.

Sarah started her career in nursing at Mercy Hospital before serving the Davenport School District for decades as a school nurse. She retired in 2018.

Sarah married Edward Patrick McDonnell on May 7, 1983 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Davenport. Together, they had two daughters, Molly Marie and Katherine Quinn.

A visitation will be held on Friday, February 20th from 5 until 7:00 p.m. at Halligan-McCabe-Devries Funeral Home with additional visitation on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. in the gathering space of St. Anthony's Catholic Church.  The funeral mass will follow on Saturday, February 21st from at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony's.

Survivors include her husband of 43 years, Edward Patrick McDonnell, Davenport; daughters, Molly Marie McDonnell, Davenport, and Katherine Quinn McDonnell, Coralville; and brothers, Christopher Smith (Debby Chatfield), Waukee, and Timothy Smith, Davenport.