Charles Edward Donahue

After nearly 15 months of recovery, his diminished condition overtook him and he passed away on October 9, 2024 at the age of 90. He did it his way until the end, staying in the comforts of home with family and much appreciated caregivers.

Charles was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 4, 1933, the son of Charles Edward Donahue and Kathleen (Kelley) Donahue. He was preceded in death by his parents and older brother, Robert Kelley Donahue. Known to family and friends as Charlie, he was a long-time resident of Detroit, where he grew up on the eastside with his mother and brother after his father passed when Charles was a young boy. The small family made frequent visits to the Kelley family compound on 17th Street in the Corktown Irish neighborhood of Detroit. Throughout his youth and early adulthood, Charlie was a devoted son and caretaker to his mother who passed away in 1972, and also to his beloved aunt, Alice Kelley, until she passed in 1974. Charles attended Catholic schools and was a graduate of St. Catherine High School in Detroit.

Charles married Joan (Doelle) Donahue in 1954, and together they raised six children: Alice Schuster, Patrick (Terri) Donahue, Theresa Kennedy (Russell Seagal), James (Marguerite) Donahue, Thomas Donahue, and Timothy (Bradley) Donahue. Joan worked in the home and other jobs while Charlie also worked full time to support the young and growing family. For a number of years, the family lived in Grosse Pointe Park, a change he and Joan made for the educational benefits of the children. Charlie pursued his own college education by enrolling at the University of Detroit, where he completed his bachelor’s degree and eventually his law degree in 1976. Both degrees were achieved while he was working full time and raising his family.

Charlie’s career was dedicated to public service work in the judicial and legal sectors. He was a court clerk and later a referee for the Detroit Traffic Court, in addition to private practice as an attorney. In 1985, he transitioned into legal work for the State of Michigan, taking a position as an assistant attorney general, from which he retired in 2002.

Charlie was preceded in death by his former wife, Joan, in 2008. Together, they had seven grandchildren: John, Erich, Peter, Cody, Sean, Kathleen, and Patrick. Charles was also a beloved brother-in-law to Nancy (Olsen) Donahue and uncle to Kevin Donahue, Sally Prahl, Gail Donahue, and the late Gary Donahue.

Charlie is also survived by his partner of 30 years, Judith Cieslak, and her son Matthew. He made his home with Judith in Marshall, Michigan where he was lovingly cared for in his final illness. Charlie made it clear that he would prefer not to spend his last days in a facility, stating at a hospital last year: “If I have to, I’ll crawl out of here.” Charlie was calling the shots until the end. Although Charlie spent his later years in Calhoun County, he always made it clear that in his heart he was a city guy.

Charlie enjoyed the ups and bemoaned the downs of every Detroit sports team, and he was an avid Tigers fan who was appreciating the playoffs season performance of the 2024 team. Charlie was also a fan of the arts and enjoyed seeing plays and musicals with trips to Broadway shows in New York a regular enjoyment for him and Judith, along with local performances in Detroit and near their residence in Marshall. Charlie always greatly enjoyed reading, staying aware of local and national news and political issues, along with the essays and books of other contemporary writers. These habits provided him with his strongly held opinions on national and world affairs which he was glad to share when asked, or at times when unsolicited. If there’s one key characteristic that would remain in the memory of those who knew Charles Donahue, it would have to be his exceptionally dry wit and humor that created eruptions of laughter in any room on any topic. The lines seemed to come from nowhere but were grounded in intellect, a brilliant element of sarcasm, and significant humor that made anyone in earshot laugh out loud.

Another of his renowned traits was Charlie’s finicky palate, which was almost as legendary as his frugality. Though the family and untold numbers of restaurant servers over the years strove to please his basic meal preferences, there are many fond memories of family dinners and events with Charlie’s humorous comments adding the real flavor to time with him. And though he constantly exhibited controlled spending habits (to use polite terms), he had a generous sense of giving to others. He regularly donated to local charities, provided help to family and friends in need, and constantly espoused an awareness and compassion for those less fortunate than he. Charlie’s long life closed just a few weeks short of his birthday, and trusted sources assure that he was mostly trying to hold on to see Trump defeated on Election Day, to see Trump put in prison sometime later, to try to make it to another milestone birthday at 91, or any combination of all three of these significant hopes.

A memorial service will be held at Will Funeral Home in Livonia, Michigan on Saturday, October 26, 2024: 37000 Six Mile Road, Livonia 48152. The family welcomes all for visitation beginning at 11am, followed by remarks and remembrances at 1:30pm, and concluding with a luncheon for fellowship. Charles Donahue’s ashes will be interred at his mother’s gravesite in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to honor Charles beyond joining us on October 26th make a donation to Detroit GoodFellows in his name: www.detroitgoodfellows.org or another of Charlie’s favored charities, Habitat for Humanity: www.habitat.org.