John Copley Donovan

John Copley Donovan, 89, of Austin, Texas, passed away peacefully on July 25, 2025—his 61st wedding anniversary to his beloved wife, Anne Peterson Donovan. John was born on January 27, 1936, in Kirksville, Missouri, and at the age of 3, John and his parents made their way to Austin where he would raise a family and spend 86 years.

As a teenager, he built his own sailboat and taught himself to sail, later teaching his boys the same and racing Thistles on Lake Travis. He built his own water skis, which were useful in patiently teaching cute girls, as well as three sons, how to slalom.

John graduated from Austin High School (‘54) and the University of Texas (‘62), where he pledged Sigma Chi and served as the fraternity’s social chairman. It was during his time at UT that he met Anne on a blind date—a meeting that led to a loving marriage on July 25, 1964.

He proudly served in the U.S. Navy, flying in the A-1D Skyraider as an electronic countermeasures officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex. John was very proud of his naval service and enjoyed sharing stories of his carrier tour from the east coast, across “the Med,” through the Suez canal, to the Philippines, and back through Cape Town and Rio, as well as his time stationed in Rhode Island.

As a young father, he would drive the family to Estes Park, Colorado each summer, a long trip made shorter by Anne’s reading of James Herriot and Laura Ingalls Wilder books along the way.

John worked for IBM as a systems engineer for more than 25 years and learned to fly for fun with the help of a fellow IBMer, obtaining Private, Instrument and Commercial ratings. He loved to fly anyone who would join him in his Cessna 172, which he would trade for a tractor when, in later years, he and Anne decided a family ranch near Copperas Cove would be a wonderful retreat for kids, grandkids, and themselves.

He was an avid bird watcher and loved traveling. Anne and John took many trips together with birding and adventure seeking friends; some of his most memorable trips included Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, New Zealand and Scandinavia.

John is survived by Anne and their three sons: John Peterson Donovan (wife Jacy Cowan; sons Harrison, Hudson, and Hayes), Peter Lee Donovan (wife Abigail Bird; daughters Clara and Helena), and Michael Harry Donovan (wife Dee Wallace; daughter Jane and son Harry). He was preceded in death by his parents, Nell Copley and John Bernard Donovan.

Visitation with family will be Tuesday, August 5th from 5-7 p.m. at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home at 5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin. Following a private family burial, a memorial service will be held at Tarrytown United Methodist Church on Wednesday, August 6th at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org), Hospice Austin (hospiceaustin.org), or to the charity of your choice.

John will be remembered for his integrity, his quick wit and the deep love he had for his family and friends.