William Joseph Donovan

Bill was a loving husband to his wife of 72 years, Mary Donovan (née Sweeney); a devoted father to William (Nancy), Brian (Karen), Richard (Donna), Russell, and David (Toni); proud grandfather of Ryan (Deb), Megan (Chase), Brian (Jordan), Amy (Will), Rachel (Will), Amanda, and Scott, and great grandchildren Madison, Bennett, Trey, Anna, Kierna, and Kyric. Bill is survived by his cousins Stroud Connor and Sr. Patricia Connor.

Born at St. Ann’s hospital in Wilkes-Barre, PA to William and Marie Donovan (née Connor), Bill only spent a short time in Pennsylvania before the family moved to Bay Bridge Brooklyn, New York. In Brooklyn he attended Our Lady of Angels Catholic School until the age of 10 when his father passed away suddenly in January of 1938. This tragedy prompted Marie to move back to Wilkes-Barre with a young Billy as the newly widowed mother knew she would need the support of her family to help raise her son. Marie's brother, "Uncle Bill" Connor, was an instrumental role model throughout Bill’s formative years and his two children, Stroud and Patricia, grew to become the siblings that Bill never had.

Growing up Bill loved baseball so much that he landed a bat boy job with the Wilkes-Barre Barons, a minor league team in the Eastern League. Spending his teenage years as a bat boy, Bill discovered another hobby in collecting the autographs and memorabilia from the many players with whom he engaged. Bill would go on to collect stamps, coins, and Norman Rockwell figurines to name a few.

While in high school Bill met his future bride, Mary Sweeney, at a dance at the sister Catholic school that Mary attended. Mary and Bill were married in 1951 prior to Bill’s deployment to Korea and spent long stretches of time apart during the early years of their marriage. Bill attended basic training at Ft. Shafter/Schofield Barricks, Hawaii before his 20-month tour in Inchon, South Korea, as a record keeper in the U.S. Army Personnel Office. Bill was honorably discharged in April of 1954 as a Corporal and returned home to Mary.

A lifelong learner, Bill graduated from St. Ann’s High School in Lansford, PA in 1947. He spent the following year at the Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School before enrolling at Pennsylvania State University in 1949. Bill spent his freshmen year at the Penn State School of Forestry, Mt. Alto but put his education on hold to enlist in the U.S. Army, later returning to graduate from Penn State in 1956. A decade after that, Bill challenged himself again by obtaining a degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1966. His academic perseverance was especially impressive as his law degree was earned while raising his young family of five boys with Mary.

A few years after graduating from Penn State, Bill accepted a sales job based out of Baltimore and moved Mary and their young children to Maryland. In Baltimore, the family became parishioners of St. Agnes church where the boys attended school and both Mary and Bill coached basketball teams. Bill and Mary raised a family of five active athletic boys and Bill always enjoyed coaching his sons’ teams as well as volunteering to coach other recreational teams. Bill himself played basketball and softball into his 50’s before sustaining a broken neck during a swimming accident. Although he could no longer play, his passion for sports did not dwindle as he followed several teams closely. Bill was an avid fan of the Baltimore Ravens, the Orioles, and the Washington Capitals, but none of these teams touched his level of devotion quite like his Penn State Nittany Lions. Bill’s memory was always impeccable even in his final years as he could recall random statistics about players’ names, teams, salaries, and championships.

Bill was a pharmaceutical salesman for Parke-Davis and later Pfizer for 38 years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion, and the Wedgewood Club. He loved to read, watch Jeopardy, provide food reviews to family members, and give nicknames to those he loved. His wit and one-liners will be missed at Sunday dinners and holidays alike.

Family will receive friends on Thursday, February 16th from 10:30-11AM at Sterling-Ashton-Schwab-Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, Inc., 1630 Edmondson Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228. Prayers will follow at 11:30AM. Interment in Garrison Forest Veteran Cemetery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sterlingashtonschwabwitzke.com for the Donovan family.