Daniel J. Donovan
...active in St. William’s, G.E. Lynn, Tewksbury Fin-Com, Longmeadow G.C., and Veteran; 72
TEWKSBURY - Daniel J. Donovan, age 72, a well known member of the Tewksbury
community, died Tuesday evening, Sept. 6, at the Westford Genesis House, after a long and
courageous battle with cancer. He was the husband of Shirley A. (Brown) Donovan, with whom
he had celebrated a 49th wedding anniversary this past July 28th.
He was born in Boston, on August 19, 1933, a son of the late Daniel J and Clara (Mogan)
Donovan. He was raised in Dorchester and East Boston, and graduated Matignon High School,
but had lived in Tewksbury since 1960. He later attended Burdett Business School in Boston.
During the Korean War, he served in the U.S.C.G.
He retired from General Electric’s River Works Plant in Lynn, where he worked as a traffic
manager. In his earlier years he had worked for the American Refrigerated Transit Company.
He was active in community affairs, as a former member of Tewksbury’s Finance Committee, and
Tewksbury youth sports, in baseball, basketball and football. He was a member of the
Tewksbury-Wilmington Elks Lodge 2070, and the Fr. Coppen’s Council of the Knights of
Columbus in Tewksbury. He was also a member of Longmeadow Golf Club in Lowell.
Mr. Donovan was a devout Catholic layman, and held close ties to St. William’s Church, where
he served as a lector and a member of the St. William’s Men’s Club.
Besides his wife, he is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law, Salem, NH Firefighter
Daniel J. Donovan Jr. of Windham, NH and his dear friend Beth Cailler of Manchester, NH, and
twin sons, William J. Donovan and his wife Ellen (Smith) of Hudson, NH, and James E. Donovan
and his wife Kimberly (Reale) of Tewksbury; a daughter and son-in-law, Donna M. McKenna and
her husband Scott of Tewksbury; one sister, Lois Cavanaugh of Foxboro; a brother, Thomas
McDonald of Somerville; and ten grandchildren, Katie, Melisa and Daniel Donovan III, Stephen,
and William McKenna, Ryan, and Mary Beth Donovan, Edward, Daniel, and Timothy Donovan;
a brother-in-law Donald Brown of Bradenton, FL; a sister-in-law, Beulah Drechsler of Sarasota,
FL; and many nieces and nephews.
His Funeral Mass was celebrated Saturday, Sept. 10, in St. William’s Church, Tewksbury. Interment was in
Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials to St. William’s Building Fund, 1351 Main St. Tewksbury, MA
01876 will be appreciated.