Thomas J. Donovan

Tom was born August 15, 1937, to Thomas and Marguerite Donovan in Los Angeles. He attended St. John the Evangelist Elementary School and Loyola High School. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in English from Loyola University in 1959. While in college, he met his future wife, Betsy Fleming, at a college mixer at her college, Mount St. Mary’s, on her 19th birthday.

Both shared a love for literature and wrote college newspaper columns. At Loyola, Tom was the vice president of his senior class and an active member of the yearbook and an editor of the Loyolan newspaper. For the past several decades, he’s been an enthusiastic and active alumnus.

Tom served in the Army National Guard for several years, based in Fort Ord, Calif.

He married in 1961, the summer after her college graduation, in her hometown, Larned, Kan. They made their first home in Los Angeles. After his military service, he worked as a dictaphone salesmen (with little success) and much more happily, for the American Red Cross.

For 37 years, Tom worked in the aerospace industry, for Garrett AiResearch, which many years later merged with Allied Signal and then the Honeywell Corporation. He began his employment in Los Angeles as editor of the company newspaper. After being transferred to the company’s Long Island, N.Y., location in 1968, he worked as personnel manager. In 1973, he was transferred to the company’s location in Phoenix, Ariz., where he would work in Human Resources until retirement, in 1999.

A devoted lifelong Catholic and community activist, Tom and his wife raised their family as members of Phoenix’s St. Joseph Parish, led by dear friend Fr. John Cullinan. Over the course of their decades at the church, they headed the parish’s Peace and Justice Committee, sponsored a homeless family and coordinated the parish’s effort to resettle a family of Cambodian refugees, among other activities. For many years, Tom volunteered as parish fundraiser and served on the parish council.

Tom and Betsy have long devoted their efforts to support Catholic Relief Services. As well, they have been volunteers for over thirty years with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Joseph’s Conference, delivering groceries to people in need. They also were parish coordinators of Martha’s Place teams who served meals to the homeless in the Sunnyslope area.

Tom was active in the parish’s Boy Scout Troop 605 for decades, serving as Scoutmaster for some time. He taught his sons to love and respect the outdoors, helping to lead the troop during Boy Scout overnight camping trips to virtually every corner of the beautiful state of Arizona. Always he modeled for the troop the Scout philosophy of personal integrity and responsibility. He also volunteered many hours as a coach in Little League baseball and basketball, and attended all of his kids’ many extracurricular activities as they progressed through high school. He was known for always being there and on time for each game.

After Tom retired from Honeywell in 1999, he increased his activism in the life of his community. His time became divided between his large family to whom he was devoted, and to his work toward social justice. He served on the Board of Catholic Charities, and he was a longtime member of the Valley Interfaith Project, a nonpartisan group. Through that group he became an active lobbyist at the Arizona state legislature, advocating alongside Monsignor Ed Ryle for a more just society. He enthusiastically supported like-minded political candidates and their causes.

Tom is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; seven children: Matthew (Ruth), Gill (Stacey), Blaine (Pamela), Timothy (Mary Margaret), Sheila (Craigg Voightmann), Patrick (Marianne) and Peter (Sarah), sixteen grandchildren: Roman, Caitlin, Connor, Jaxon, Madeleine, Deborah, Rosemary, Jacqueline, Brady, Katherine, Julia, Noah, Virginia, Stadler James, Abigail, and Molly, and one sister, Susan Manzo, along with many extended family members.

A memorial Mass for Tom has been scheduled for Saturday, February 24, at the Franciscan Renewal Center at 1 p.m. The center is located at 5802 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale, Ariz. 85253. A reception will follow the service at the center.

In lieu of flowers to honor Tom, please send donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Relief Services, or a charity of your choice.