Kerry M. Donohue
1971 - 2025
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Kerry Marie Donohue passed away on Sunday, November 16, 2025, in New York City, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. She is survived by her daughter Lily, her mother Betty, her sisters Tara and Heather, her brother Sean, and her partner Gregg. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack.
Kerry was born at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in NYC (near Lincoln Center) on Tuesday, May 4, 1971, as the first child to Jack and Betty Donohue. She grew up in Mount Vernon, NY, but always had one foot in NYC (30 mins away from her home). She showed an interest in the arts from a very young age. She was always "flitting around" as her sister Tara recalls a babysitter of theirs commenting that "Kerry always seemed to hear music in her head." After a few years of dance classes at her elementary school, her ballet teacher urged her parents to have her audition for The School of American Ballet (SAB) in Lincoln Center. At the age of 9, she was accepted to SAB and also chosen to perform in New York City Ballet's The Nutcracker. The following year, she was picked to play the coveted lead child role of Marie / Mary / Clara / Princess in The Nutcracker, a role she performed with poise and charm. She continued to perform for 6 years in The Nutcracker as well as in many other ballets with NYCB. She attended SAB throughout high school until graduation in 1989.
Kerry went on to study at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) as a Theatre major while continuing to dance. At MMC, she became a student worker in the Admissions Office which, after 2 years, turned into a full-time position. "Families fell in love with MMC because they fell in love with Kerry," says Kerry's friend and former boss, Suzanne Murphy. "Kerry led every single tour of the colleges residence to prospective students. Also, at 18, she learned the computer system — this was in the early days of computers — and took charge of processing all our admissions applications, while going to school full time and also acting and directing." Kerry worked for many years in Admissions at MMC, later transitioning to a role in Alumni and Donor Relations.
After 15+ years at MMC, Kerry moved on to lead Alumnae Relations at The Spence School. She later joined Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) to help organize TC's 125th Anniversary Celebration in 2013 and soon became an integral member of the Donor Relations team in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Over the years, she demonstrated tremendous care in her work stewarding trustees, alumni, students, and faculty and partnering with staff across the campus.
Kerry Donohue was many things to many people: an actress and dancer; a fundraiser for colleges and universities; a faithful daughter and big sister who loomed large in the lives of her three siblings; a loving and devoted partner; and, above all, a fiercely determined single mom. But regardless of which hat she was wearing, she employed the same M.O.
May her memory bring comfort to those who knew her.
A Celebration of Life will be held on
Saturday, December 13, 2025
05:00 PM to 07:00 PM at
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
5:00pm - 6:00pm - Everett Lounge
6:00pm - 7:00pm - Program in Milbank Chapel
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you stay tuned for further information as they finalize a fitting memorial in honor of Kerry.
Kerry was born at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in NYC (near Lincoln Center) on Tuesday, May 4, 1971, as the first child to Jack and Betty Donohue. She grew up in Mount Vernon, NY, but always had one foot in NYC (30 mins away from her home). She showed an interest in the arts from a very young age. She was always "flitting around" as her sister Tara recalls a babysitter of theirs commenting that "Kerry always seemed to hear music in her head." After a few years of dance classes at her elementary school, her ballet teacher urged her parents to have her audition for The School of American Ballet (SAB) in Lincoln Center. At the age of 9, she was accepted to SAB and also chosen to perform in New York City Ballet's The Nutcracker. The following year, she was picked to play the coveted lead child role of Marie / Mary / Clara / Princess in The Nutcracker, a role she performed with poise and charm. She continued to perform for 6 years in The Nutcracker as well as in many other ballets with NYCB. She attended SAB throughout high school until graduation in 1989.
Kerry went on to study at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) as a Theatre major while continuing to dance. At MMC, she became a student worker in the Admissions Office which, after 2 years, turned into a full-time position. "Families fell in love with MMC because they fell in love with Kerry," says Kerry's friend and former boss, Suzanne Murphy. "Kerry led every single tour of the colleges residence to prospective students. Also, at 18, she learned the computer system — this was in the early days of computers — and took charge of processing all our admissions applications, while going to school full time and also acting and directing." Kerry worked for many years in Admissions at MMC, later transitioning to a role in Alumni and Donor Relations.
After 15+ years at MMC, Kerry moved on to lead Alumnae Relations at The Spence School. She later joined Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) to help organize TC's 125th Anniversary Celebration in 2013 and soon became an integral member of the Donor Relations team in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Over the years, she demonstrated tremendous care in her work stewarding trustees, alumni, students, and faculty and partnering with staff across the campus.
Kerry Donohue was many things to many people: an actress and dancer; a fundraiser for colleges and universities; a faithful daughter and big sister who loomed large in the lives of her three siblings; a loving and devoted partner; and, above all, a fiercely determined single mom. But regardless of which hat she was wearing, she employed the same M.O.
May her memory bring comfort to those who knew her.
A Celebration of Life will be held on
Saturday, December 13, 2025
05:00 PM to 07:00 PM at
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
5:00pm - 6:00pm - Everett Lounge
6:00pm - 7:00pm - Program in Milbank Chapel
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you stay tuned for further information as they finalize a fitting memorial in honor of Kerry.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Kerry M. Donohue, please visit our flower store.
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