Stephen Francis Donovan Jr.

1942 - 2021

Stephen Francis Donovan, Jr.
Stephen Francis Donovan, Jr., age 78, was granted rest on August 31, 2021, at Griffin Hospital.
He is survived by his loving, devoted, twin brother, John J. "Jack" Donovan and beloved brother, Edward F. Donovan and his wife, Angela, and his sister, Celeste Donovan Beattie and her late husband Clifford Beattie. Stephen, "Buddy" was uncle to Craig Beattie, Jayne (Beattie) Skidmore, Ford Beattie, Sean Donovan, and Kristen Donovan.
Born in Bridgeport on December 7, 1942, son of the late Stephen F. and Gertrude Fennell Donovan, he was a lifelong Shelton resident living in his family's 81 year-old homestead with his twin brother, Jack.
Buddy graduated from West Hartford's American School of the Deaf in 1962. He had many accomplishments while at school, serving as Treasurer of the class, Member of the Literary Society as well as the Academics, Arts and Sciences Clubs. Sports were his passion playing varsity football all four years of high school. He was honored as an All Star his senior year. He was also a wrestler and baseball manager in high school. These accomplishments were recognized by the Boys Athletic Association and A-Club for sports.
Buddy was an avid reader, highly intelligent, devoted to the deaf community and a virtual human encyclopedia when it came to history, politics and sports.
Employed for 10 years at AVCO Corporation, Buddy worked on Lycoming aircraft components. Upon passing the civil service examination with a nearly perfect score of 99 out of 100, Buddy joined the United States Postal Service where he finished his professional career as a zip code computer analyst for 30 years.
Buddy's passion for sports continued into adulthood. He was a bowler for the Waterbury and Bridgeport Bowling Clubs, adding many trophies to those he had earned playing football. He was also manager of the Waterbury and Bridgeport Softball Clubs.
His commitment to the deaf community was evident in his fundraising efforts and his membership in the Waterbury and Bridgeport Deaf Clubs, the Waterbury Fraternity of the Deaf, and the Newington Deaf Senior Citizens Club.
Buddy was a car enthusiast, often racking up the miles on long drives as he would set out to attend an event, to meet up with family and friends, or simply for the pure pleasure of a ride. He would have a new car almost every two years because of the miles he put on those vehicles. Many will remember his beautiful cars with the distinctive "SFD JR" vanity plate.
He enjoyed going out to eat, frequently with his brothers Jack and Ed and his longtime friend Earl Scheithe. Buddy enjoyed gatherings with family, cousins, and friends.
On Thursday, September 9th, friends may call from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Rd., Shelton. On Friday, September 10th friends are invited to go directly to St. Lawrence Church, 505 Shelton Ave., Shelton for his Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Family and friends are required are required to wear masks.