Daniel J. Donovan

Daniel “Dan” Donovan passed away on June 10, 2023, and is now with Terry, his wife and true love, for eternity.

Dan was born on April 28, 1930, to Daniel and Josephine Donovan in Concord NH. Dan grew up in Concord, graduating from St. John’s Academy.  Dan then proudly joined the US Navy where he spent 3 years in service before, as he said, “Harry (Truman) invited him to stay an additional year”! Dan was based in Norfolk, VA assigned to the USS Raby a “Buckley-class destroyer escort” which allowed him to travel to many ports on the East coast of the United States and Europe prior to leaving for Pearl Harbor. (Later in life Dan and Terry would join this group of men and their spouses annually to reconnect, commiserate, and appreciate their time at sea and the good ship that they served so well.

After the service Dan went to work for the Railroad before spending 33 years with Sprague Electric. First employed by Sprague in Concord NH, then Plymouth NH, and ultimately as part of the original staff at the new Sanford, Maine Manufacturing Facility, where again he made many new friends and was appreciated and respected by his peers.

It was during a return trip to Concord that Dan met the love of his life at a military social…, Theresa “Terry” West of Rutland, VT who was completing her nursing degree. Dan and Terry would marry and spend the next 69 years as husband and wife.  Originally living in Concord NH, where they welcomed three children and their family dog, they later moved to Kennebunk, Maine in 1966 to raise their family and make many lifelong friends. Dan’s love of and respect for family was his priority, whether it was attending the “kids” games or events, chairing the Booster Club, traveling to Gilmanton Iron Works after work to be with Terry (Camp Nurse), spending time on “Terry’s Too” on the Kennebunk River or making a point to call his children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren to wish them a Happy Birthday, congratulate them on their successes or offer support when life’s challenges arose.

Once Dan retired, he and Terry began spending extended time in Florida during the winter months, eventually building their dream home in Englewood, Florida. This was truly a wonderful time for Dan as he and Terry enjoyed making new friends, playing golf (he scored a Hole-in-One on September 9, 1999), traveling around the USA and the world, and of course returning to Maine to spend summers with growing families and catching up with longtime friends. These times spent with family and friends and of course Terry meant the world to Dan.  So much so that they elected to move back North to be closer to family, settling in Laconia NH for a number of years before returning to the Kennebunks in 2020.

Dan was known for his humorous sayings such as “One Horse One Rabbit”, or “That’s a Horse of a Different Color”! and for his dry sense of humor. Always happy to be in the background taking in all the conversations and appreciating everyone’s interests and energies.  He was a proud owner of New England Patriot’s season tickets for many years, making the trip with family and friends to Patriot home games in Foxborough MA, then dropping a son off in Boston and/or his daughter off in Springfield MA before Dan and Terry would make the drive home late that evening. When he heard his daughter say, “she would love to go to a Superbowl” he immediately offered that if she could save enough money to pay for the ticket he would pay for Terry’s ticket and all other costs”. The next year Dan proudly watched Superbowl X knowing his wife and daughter were in the crowd! Dan also spent a great deal of time on his family’s genealogy which when completed included 6 generations of the family.

Dan is survived by his sister Kathleen (Pete), brothers Bruce (Nancee) and Brian (Bev), his children Peter (Kathy), Keith (MaryBess) & Cindy (Gary), his grandchildren Walker, Schuyler and Colby, Greg, Rebecca, Allison and Jeremy, Emily, and Danny, and his great grandchildren Annabelle, Jack, Reese, Wyatt, Joey, Alexandra, Danny, and Juliette.

Services will be held for the family at The New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery per Dan’s wishes.