Born April 6, 1944, originally of Shively, Kentucky, resident of Natick
for 48 years, passed away on December 7, 2021, at home with her family.
Marita leaves behind her beloved husband of 52 years, Frank Byrne; daughters Bridget Byrne of
Littleton and Maura Westlake of Natick and her husband Benjamin. Parents (deceased) William
S. O’Daniel and Regina (Greenwell) O’Daniel of Kentucky. Granddaughters Ella Byrne-Cabot
and Tessa and Emilia Westlake, to whom she passed on her love of books and reading. She
loved to share stories about growing up with her siblings: Michael O’Daniel of California, Tricia
Parrish of Oregon, Paul O’Daniel of Kentucky, and Barbara O’Daniel-Munger of Kentucky. Aunt
to nieces and nephews across the US. A special place in her heart for Marianne Le Bigot and
her family.
After graduating from Our Lady of Cincinnati, Marita taught kindergarten in central Cleveland in
the 1960s, where she met her husband, Frank. The couple moved to Massachusetts to pursue
their love of teaching. A lifelong speaker of foreign languages, Marita taught French in the
Holliston schools and welcomed numerous exchange students from around the world into her
home. Marita enjoyed speaking French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese with friends
and strangers (that would become friends), both in the US and on her many travels with her
husband.
Her home was welcome to all during the holidays and she had a flair for hosting inventive
parties, such as the annual Flamingo Fling, which celebrated the beginning of summer and the
flowering of her beautiful gardens.
Marita was a supporter of many wildlife and preservation charities and a fan of the offbeat, such
as the Museum of Bad Art. Her love of her neighborhood can be seen in her winning
photograph “For the Birds”, which will appear in Natick’s 2023 Oldtown Calendar.
For many years she was a green smock at the Wellesley Clothing Exchange, a true thrifter
before thrifting became trendy. A proponent of providing well cared for books to the public, she
worked in book preservation at the Wellesley Free Library for 25 years, retiring only recently due
to her illness.
Marita was known for her devotion to her cat, Enzo, a rescue from the MetroWest Humane
Society, where she volunteered for many years.
Visiting Hours in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home 4 Park Street NATICK COMMON on
Friday December 10th from 4-8pm. Funeral Mass in St. Patrick Church 44 East Central Street
(Rt. 135) Natick on Saturday December 11th at 10am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to
attend. Interment St Patrick Cemetery Natick.
In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Marita may be made to the Amyloidosis Foundation amyloidosis.org or
the charity of your choice.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Marita J. (O'Daniel) Byrne, please visit our Tree Store.