Richard J. Donovan Jr.

Richard J. Donovan Jr. of Rockland, MA, passed away on November 27, 2024.
Rick was born January 3, 1944 in Fall River, Massachusetts, the son of the late Richard J. Donovan Sr and Marianne Catherine (Carney) Donovan. He is survived by daughter Elizabeth Kelly and her husband John of Kingston, MA; daughter Katherine Pomeroy and her husband Josh of Brookeville, MD; son Patrick Donovan and his wife Jennifer of Williamstown, VT; son Richard Donovan and his wife Inga Sidor of Lee, NH; eight grandchildren: Nick, Maggie, Ellie, Danny, Declan, Colin, Fiona, and Max; sisters Elizabeth Harding and Mary Ann "Butch" Tuttle; and many nieces and nephews.
Rick grew up on Hanover Street in Fall River. He finished high school at Vermont Academy in 1962 and earned a degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting and a minor in Economics from Northeastern University in 1968. While at Northeastern, Rick enlisted in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class (E9), and remained in the reserves until 1996. Over the years he told many stories of adventures with the Army. In 1979 he was awarded the Army Commendation medal by the Secretary of the Army for exceptionally meritorious service as Chief Dental Noncommissioned Officer of the 455th Medical Detachment. Having obtained computer skills in the many corporate accounting positions he held, he served as a mentor and go-to person to many colleagues using Reserve computing services. In 1989 he changed careers, going into computer software quality engineering, first with Lotus Corporation and then with IBM after Lotus was acquired. He stayed with IBM until he retired in 2009.
Throughout his life he loved to travel. During co-ops from Northeastern he traveled all over the Southern United States. He traveled with the Army Reserves for the two to four weeks of active duty every year, including one trip to Germany. His work with IBM included travel to Europe to support their clients. In his retirement he hit his stride, often going to Arizona, California, and Nevada multiple times a year.
Rick was smart, quiet, kind, and loyal. He loved his friends and family and wanted nothing more than to see his kids and grandkids succeed. He will be remembered for his dry sense of humor and love of sweets and ice cream.
The family will receive relatives and friends at MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street in Marshfield on Friday December 13, 2024 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, 40 Canal Street in Marshfield on Saturday December 14, 2024 at 10:30 a.m..
Memorial donations may be made in Rick's memory to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, online at https://www.dana-farber.org/
For online guest book, driving directions and other helpful information please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com