Donald Joseph Hanrahan

Donald Joseph Hanrahan was born in the Bronx on March 19, 1925 to Edward Francis and Dorothy Josephine Riley Hanrahan. He is pre-deceased by his parents and brother Edward, Jr, sisters Rosemary and Margaret Ann and survived by his sister Dorothy (Selwyn) Shillinglaw. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Fairfax Hospital on December 29th from complications of the flu.

An epic love story led to nearly 62 years of marriage to his beloved wife, Louise King Hanrahan who passed away on February 8, 2013. Their blessed union resulted in six children, Nancy Schwab, Teresa (Jay) LaMonica, Kathleen (Joseph) Kampa, Donna (Spencer) Jackson, John (Kirsten) Hanrahan and Patrick (Kathleen) Hanrahan; 17 grandchildren, Robert Letendre, Jr, (Aline); John Gabriel (Leah), Anna and Laura LaMonica; Ryan (Nasim) and Kristen Schwab; Suzanne, Sean and Alexandra Jackson; Courtney, Keenan, Megan and Grace Kampa; Colin and Luke Hanrahan; Brigid and Seamus Hanrahan. There are also 4 great grandchildren, Carolynne Letendre, John Gabriel LaMonica, Jr, Lilia Schwab and Eloise LaMonica. He loved each and every one and was so proud of them all.

He enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1943 just prior to his 18th birthday and served with the 14th Marines and the 4th Marine Division, landing on the black sands of Iwo Jima on February 20, 1945. He departed one month later on his 20th birthday. He never said much about the experience except “After Iwo, everything else in life is a piece of cake."

In 1946, he was discharged from the Marine Corps and received an undergraduate degree from George Washington University under the GI Bill. He was an assistant professor of electrical engineering there until joining the Naval Research Laboratory in 1957 where he worked as a senior scientist until his retirement. He earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland. He was commissioned as an officer in the US Naval Reserve in 1956 and retired as a commander in 1978.

Visitation will be on January 1 from 2-4PM and 6-8PM at Robert J. Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM on January 2 at St. Thomas More Cathedral, 3901 North Cathedral Lane, Arlington, Virginia. Interment will be at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, Virginia.