Photo by Lance Cpl. Jahn R. Kuiper Mary Jane ‘‘Bucky” Oakes, widow of Kenneth O’Donnell, leans on her stepson John Oakes as taps is played at the Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel Nov. 1.

This was the first memorial service held at the Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel. Honored on Nov. 1 was retired Sgt. Kenneth O’Donnell, a 4th Battalion Raider infantryman, president of the United States Marine Raider Association from 2008-2009, husband and father, who died in his sleep at the age of 85 from a brain tumor.

‘‘Death had to take him sleeping, for if he had been awake there would have been a fight,” Christopher Oakes said about his grandfather at the memorial service. ‘‘Thomas Marshall (Vice President of the United States in 1919) made this statement upon learning of the death of President Theodore Roosevelt. It is my honor to stand here almost a century later and tell you I know of yet another man to give death pause, my grandfather, Ken O’Donnell. If a conscious Rough Rider was stubborn, a Marine Raider sure as hell would be damn near impossible.”

Family and friends alike who knew the end was near were still hit hard by the news.

‘‘He was unresponsive for about a week,” said retired Lt. Col. Joseph Shusko, former director of the Martial Arts Center of Excellence. ‘‘I was visiting him as often as I could because we were close friends. I was driving home from his house and 30 minutes after I left I got the call. I hit me hard because of the man he was. Pick up a Webster’s dictionary and look up the word ‘gentleman.’”

Perhaps, though, for the Raiders who have succumbed to old age in recent years, one word is not enough to describe their character.

‘‘Bravery manifests itself in many forms, and Ken possessed them all,” said Oakes. ‘‘He exhibited valor and ferocity in combat. He lived an honest life even if the truth was inconvenient, and neither age nor impending death were capable of vanquishing his desire to learn or drive for adventure.”

‘‘His character was based on honor, courage and commitment,” said Shusko. ‘‘He was loyal and honest. He was a true patriot. He never had anything bad to say about anyone. He always wanted to talk to Marines and find out what they were going through. And he shared what he went through. He never embellished the events. A lot of us here at the Martial Arts Center of Excellence saw him as a father or grandfather figure.”

But perhaps O’Donnell would have never been molded into such a man if not for his experience as a Marine Raider storming beaches in the Pacific.

‘‘He was so at risk in those days doing all of those stealth raids,” said Mary Jane ‘‘Bucky” Oakes, McDonnell’s widow. ‘‘It was those risks he took as a young Marine that prepared him for later in life. Life meant so much to him. It was such a sobering experience because if any Raider survived and came home they would feel themselves so blessed that they would dedicate themselves to being a good person and a good family man.”

This gratitude led O’Donnell to head the Raider’s association in his later years. He put every bit of passion and effort into it.

‘‘He was essential in putting in the new Raider memorial walkway at Raider Hall (at The Basic School) — it was his baby,” Shusko said. ‘‘It honors approximately 900 Raiders killed in action. He always cared about others before himself, especially his fellow Raiders. He was a big part of establishing Raider Hall as the home of the Raiders. He made sure to honor the legacy and memory of his peers.”

But on this night it was O’Donnell’s legacy being memorialized. For all who knew O’Donnell there will be a piece of him they miss the most.

‘‘The biggest thing I learned from him was love of country — everything about it,” Shusko said. ‘‘I learned so much from him. He traveled the world and saw many things, but he always spoke so proud of his country.”

‘‘His wonderful company was so great — he was so stimulating,” Bucky Oakes said. ‘‘I never suggested anything where he didn’t say, ‘great, let’s do it.’ We spent our lives having adventures together. We took up skiing when he was 51. We took up seafaring when he was 60. I will miss his company the most though.”

The night was not all tears, but rather, filled with the stories of O’Donnell’s adventures. He is part of dwindling hero class of Marines, that will be soon gone. O’Donnell had died, but the imprint he had made on his family and friends were prominent.

— Correspondent: jahn.kuiper@uscm.mil