Gerard Paul Donahoe Jr.

Gerard (Jerry) Paul Donahoe, Jr., age 60 of Washington, DC passed away at home on March 14, 2021 after fighting cancer diagnosed 8 months ago. He was preceded in death by his parents, Gerard P. and Virginia A. (Humber) Donahoe. He leaves behind his partner of 23 years, Daniel P. McGlynn, of Washington, DC, his 3 sisters and their husbands, Diana M. Steel & Peter Dini of Poway, CA; Carol A. & Kenneth Page of Hollis, NH, and Ellen V. & Joseph Ferreira of Winchester, MA and 7 nieces and nephews, Conor, Aisling, Justin, Nicholas, Scott, Karina & Thomas. He also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends in various parts of the U.S. and other countries.

A graduate of Winchester High School, he also received a B.A in Political Science from Bates College and a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He was active in his alumni groups and was a class officer and class agent and organized alumni activities such as hiking in the mountains. He worked at Jones Lang Wooten in New York. He moved to Washington, DC in 1994 and, until illness forced his retirement in September 2020, he was a Housing Program Policy Specialist with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jerry loved the outdoors and sharing it with others. He was a fantastic organizer of adventures and a travel planner extraordinaire. He traveled the world, visiting all the continents, including Antarctica. He loved to be on or near water, especially the ocean; he felt energized by it. He loved to sail. He loved being at the beach. He loved to float in a pool supported by noodles. He loved being in a hot tub and longed for one at home. He loved to downhill ski and competing on a race team in the winter months and being at a beach on Cape Cod or at Cape Henlopen State Park beach in Delaware when the weather was warm.

He was passionate about bringing people together and forming new bonds and friendships. His church community, St.Thomas’ Parish in DC, was an integral part of his life. He was a church greeter and made others feel welcomed at St. Thomas’ when they were searching for a new church community. He led the foyer dinner program at St. Thomas’ where participants gathered in each other’s homes to get to know each other while sharing a meal and discussing a wide array of topics. He led church group hikes in the mountains of Virginia and visits to nearby wineries. He was a fast and loyal friend and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him.

A memorial service (via Zoom) from St. Thomas’ Parish in Washington, DC will be held on Tuesday, March 23 at 6:30PM. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to

St. Thomas’ Parish (stthomasdc.org), caringbridge.org, or capitalcaring.org