John F. Donahoe passed away on September 23, 2020 after a courageous battle with a prolonged illness. He was born in October 27, 1934 in Quincy, MA, the eldest son of Frederick and Anne Donahoe. He attended Sacred Heart High School in Weymouth,Massachusetts, where he was an accomplished baseball and basketball athlete and an academic class leader. He completed his undergraduate studies at Stonehill College from the institution’s second graduating class, following which he served as an officer inthe United States Marines Corps to which he maintained a lifelong pride and fealty.
As a freshman in high school, he met his Braintree neighbor and wife-to-be, Patricia Kilroy. Both attended graduate school at Columbia University where Mr. Donahoe received his Master’s in Business Administration from the “B” School, following which he began his career-long association with the Ford Motor Company, first in marketing. After an interlude in Liverpool, he returned to Massachusetts to spend the rest of his career in Information Technology for the Ford Dealer Computer Services of New England, with stacks of awards that he humbly boxed and never shared with friends or family.
He and his wife of sixty years raised three children in Weston, MA, where he made lifelong friends. The family enjoyed many opportunities to travel and spent long happy years in Hyannisport, harking back to his childhood days on the Cape. His family is so grateful to the entire Hyannis Port community and the Massachusetts General Hospital Surgical and Pediatric Surgical community, who came to his aid and comfort during the last years of his life. He was a member of the Weston Golf Club, Hyannisport Club, Hyannis Port Yacht Club, Hyannis Port Civic Association, the Harvard Club, and the Marine Corps Association.
Never without a book, a tiller, or a tennis racquet in his hand, “Jack” was noted for his subtle tongue-in-cheek wit, his intelligence, his intense loyalty to friends, his joy of life, and his love of Mozart and the Red Sox. He is the loving father of 3 children, Shauna Donahoe, J. Tara Clair, and John F. Donahoe II, and loving grandfather of Katherine Clair, Thomas Clair, and Andrew Hendricks. In addition to the above, he leaves his wife, Patricia K. Donahoe, MD, of 60 years, his brother Frederick Donahoe and family, his nephew Eric Von Riegers and family, and his cousin, Richard McLean and family.
With strict adherence to COVID-19 health precautions and social distancing rules, visitation will be held at Doane, Beal & Ames, 160 W. Main St., Hyannis, MA 02601 on Wednesday, September 30th from 9-10 a.m. followed by a private funeral mass at Our Lady of Victory in Centerville, MA. Interment will be at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, MA. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date at the Hyannisport Club.
In lieu of flowers, Jack’s wish was to support the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, c/o Allan M. Goldstein, MD/ Patricia K. Donahoe, MD, Simches Research Center CPZN-6100, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, or Stonehill College, Office of Development, 320 Washington St., Easton, MA 02357-6242.
