Jeffrey Owen Donahue

DONAHUE Atty. Jeffrey Owen Donahue, age 68 of West Hartford, died at home on Friday, September 21, 2007 after a tenacious battle with cancer. Jeff was a man who loved life, was loved by his family and his many friends. He was born in Bridgeport and raised in Fairfield. The son of James J. Donahue and Helen McAleer Donahue, he was a man of intense intellectual curiosity, graduating from Fairfield College Preparatory School and the University of Pennsylvania where he played football. He later received a law degree from The University of Connecticut Law School. He worked briefly for IBM and then held various positions as an officer with Travelers Insurance Company while over seeing the first installation of IBM mainframe in the Hartford region. Thereafter, he practiced law for many years in the Hartford area and also served as a hearing officer at the Department of Motor Vehicles for more than 18 years. At the time of his passing, he was serving as an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel to the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. He is survived by his daughter, Catherine Donahue Spier and her husband, Thomas, of Shoreham, N.Y.; his son, Michael and his wife, Sharon, of Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.; three grandchildren, Colin Pallister Spier and Rachel and Andrew Donahue; his brother, Terrence Donahue and his wife, Mary, of Fairfield; as well as seven nephews; and his former wife, Barbara Johnson. Funeral services will be Thursday, September 27 at 9:15 a.m. from the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Patrick's Church, 110 Main Stret, Farmington. Burial will be Friday at 11 a.m. in St. Michael's Cemetery, Stratford. Calling hours are Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the funeral home. Donations in his memory may be made to Fairfield College Preparatory School, Development Fund, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824 or to Highwatch Farm, please designate for scholarship, 62 Carter Road, Kent, CT 06757. Online messages of remembrance and sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com.