Daniel Stephen Donahue

Daniel Donahue, owner of Agora Farms - Eastern Market, Washington, DC, was born April 29, 1947 in Lawrence Massachusetts and, after serving his country in the Navy and Marines during the Vietnam War, he received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Dan passed away on December 12, 2024. He was predeceased by his mother, Mary N. Donahue.
Dan was a well-loved fixture at Eastern Market, where he sold high-quality, curated produce and goods tailored to his customers. He got his start in the 1970s by selling tulip bulbs for the Capitol Hill Garden Club and through his new business, Blossom Lawn & Garden Care. His horticultural education began as a young boy in Texas when he got lost in a cornfield, so his mother gave him his own garden to explore instead. He taught horticulture in Baltimore, led a mentoring program at Melwood Horticultural Training Center, and managed the grounds for The Catholic University. He became a creative businessman as he helmed Agora Farms; from his greenhouses in D.C. and his farm partnership in Pennsylvania, over the next decades he expanded his sources for produce to a large network of some 84 family farms stretching to the Maryland border and across Pennsylvania. He cultivated his customer base in D.C., providing fruits, vegetables, and organic sugar-free beverages to a farmer's market at American University and led other vendors to join the program.
Dan's colorful and kind personality made his business transactions into fun and engaging encounters as he got to know many Eastern Market customers by name. He discovered a surprising number of Red Sox fans by displaying a Red Sox pennant. He provided dishes of water for dogs and fooled Humane Society officers when he put a rubber turtle into a dish. When the turtle went missing, it became the talk of the Market. Children kept asking where the turtle was, two women formed a vigilante group to scour the neighborhood, and the Hill Rag covered it all.
Dan's generosity was outstanding. Thanks to Dan, Capitol Hill United Methodist (CHUMC) was able to provide fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to the unhoused community on Capitol Hill. For nearly 10 years, volunteers from the Our Daily Bread Breakfast Program met Dan at the close of market every Sunday to pick up a variety of items -ranging from yogurt, cheese, and nuts to kale, green beans, sweet potatoes, popping corn, apples, peaches, and cider.
Dan would actually buy extra produce from his sources to ensure he'd have enough left over for the donations -he never disappointed. At Thanksgiving, he'd would purchase one or two organically-raised turkeys to donate them for the community meal. And he did more – Dan featured a sign that described the program right next his cash register, accompanied by a donation container. Along with the fresh produce he delivered to CHUMC each week, he'd count out many $1 and $5 bills that folks had donated.
On those Sundays when volunteers weren't available to collect the produce, Dan would make a special trip to CHUMC on Monday morning just to drop off the produce. He cared deeply about those served. He'd ask what was cooked and enjoyed getting a meal or a photo sometimes. He never wanted to be thanked or recognized. It just made him happy to be giving.
Dan Donahue will be missed and not forgotten; he made a long-lasting and real difference in the lives of many people and those of their four-legged friends. Rest in Peace.
Information regarding a celebration of Dan's life will be forthcoming in early 2025.