James Patrick Donovan III

James Patrick Donovan, III, 86, of Olive Branch, MS passed away on June 26, 2024. Mr. Donovan was born on November 11, 1937 in Pittsburgh, PA to the late James P. Donovan, II and Edith Weeks Donovan. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and history from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. While in school at Sam Houston, he was the editor of The Houstonian, the campus newspaper, where he won many awards for his work. In his thirties, he worked for Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas and then became an over the road truck driver, which allowed him to go to 49 of the 50 states. He served our country in the United States Navy where he worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. After his Navy service, he became the Texas A&M sports editor for the Bryan Daily Eagle in Bryan, TX during the Gene Stallings era. He then began work at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston as their hospital magazine editor. From there, he worked his way up into hospital administration. This led him to his career in life, which was in hospital administration with HCA where he worked in several hospitals across Tennessee and Texas. In his free time, he enjoyed reading, listening to music, drawing, sketching, painting, and watching the Tennessee Volunteers play. One of the most important things in his life was his faith in God and trusting that everything is always in His hands. He spent many hours reading and studying his Bible to learn as much about God as he could. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Toni Donovan; sister, Denise Donovan Ling; sister, Christine Donovan Barto; and a brother, Paul Donovan. Mr. Donavan is survived by his wife, Alva Lee Hannah Donovan; son, Flynn Donovan (Stephanie); son, Christopher Donovan; son, Jason McCauley (Jennifer); son, Micah McCauley (Jessica); grandchildren: Liam Donovan, Claire Donovan, Ellie McCauley, Ty McCauley, Marissa Hall, Micah McCauley, and Macen McCauley; brother, John W. Donovan (Linda); brother-in-law, Don Barto; and sister-in-law, Sylvia Donovan. A celebration of life for Mr. Donovan will be held at a later date.