Donald James Lennon

Donald J. Lennon, of Yarmouth, Maine, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully at Maine Medical Center on March 23rd, 2025, with his family at his side. He was 77 years old and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Donald is survived by his wife, Kathy (Craney); his sons Owen and Geoff and their wives Katie (Foldi) and Erica (DeFreitas); his grandchildren, Brody and Keira; and many friends and former work colleagues. He is predeceased by his parents, Emmott and Annette Lennon, and his brother, William.

He lived a full and impactful life. He was born on June 8th, 1947 in Troy, New York, spending his childhood in Watervliet, New York. After high school, Donald served his country in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War, stationed at bases around the world. Upon completing his service, he then pursued a career as an engineer at several biotech companies, including Hygeia Sciences, Binax, Chemogen, Alere and Abbott Laboratories. He loved his work. His creative thinking, ingenuity and inventive spirit yielded seven patents. Four of his patents were sources of particular pride for him. In 1989, while at Hygeia Sciences, he helped develop diagnostics which were the precursor to the Hygeia Sciences First Response Pregnancy test. In 1997, during his time at Binax, he helped develop a new diagnostic test format which later became a foundational component of the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test. He was very proud to have contributed to these two diagnostic tests which ended up helping so many people around the world.

When he wasn't busy at the office, Donald was busy at home. He enjoyed spending time with his family, tinkering and working on home improvement projects. In his leisure time, he loved fishing and kayaking in the beautiful lakes of southern Maine.

His family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the dedicated team of doctors, nurses and staff at Maine Medical Center's Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for their compassionate care during Donald's time in the hospital.

A private service will be held for immediate family at the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project. Please see the Donations section below for a link to Donald's memorial giving page.

Please use the Add a Memory button below to leave condolences for the Lennon family and to share stories from your time with Donald.

Patent Information

List of Patents

https://patents.justia.com/inventor/donald-j-lennon

Hygeia Sciences

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4963325A/en?oq=4963325

Hygeia Sciences

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4999163A/en?oq=4999163

Hygeia Sciences

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5084245A/en?oq=5084245

Binax

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5939252A/en