Andy Reid pens note to family of Chiefs fan who died in Florida on day of Super Bowl
Peggy and Michael O’Donnell of Wichita joined thousands of other Chiefs fans from around the country who traveled to Florida ahead of Super Bowl LIV.
Many hoped to just soak in the experience and if everything worked out, maybe get tickets to the big game.
But the trip of a lifetime took an unimaginable turn when Michael O’Donnell died of natural causes the day of the Super Bowl in Miami. O’Donnell, known as Pastor Mike because of his work at Grace Baptist Church, was 61.
This week, Michael O’Donnell’s son, Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell II, received a surprise in the mail: a note from Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
“Today Michael received a note to our family from Andy Reid!! Just another sweet reminder that God is a God of details. It came on my birthday,” Peggy Walker O’Donnell wrote on her Facebook page.
Reid wrote:
“Dear O’Donnell Family -
“I heard through Kim (unreadable last name) from The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints about your loss. Not knowing Pastor Mike but reading about him I felt a strong connection. What a wonderful representative of our Heavenly Father. I know you know he’s in good hands. I’m sure he’s spreading That red + yellow spirit to the Heavens. May you find a bit of joy in that as his legacy grows here on Earth. May you remember the good times and may his Spirit live forever with you.
Sincerely,
Andy Reid”
Michael O’Donnell II wrote in a Facebook post: “Coach Reid sent our family one of the most sincere, heart-warming (hand-written) notes we’ve received since my dad’s death and it arrived on Peggy Walker O’Donnells birthday. Coach Reid said he felt a ‘strong connection’ to Pastor Mike. My dad would be so humbled by this.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
