Jack M. Donahue

1929 - 2015

Donahue Jack M. Donahue, of Columbus, OH, born December 8, 1929 in Herrin, Illinois, died May 16, 2015 after a courageous battle against lung cancer. Jack was third of eight children born to Paul and Carrie Donahue. After his mother's death, he was placed in the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Children's School, an orphanage in Bloomington-Normal. He was 11 at the time and remained in that institution until his graduation from high school. He attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and graduated with high honors with a bachelors degree in Sociology. He served in the US Army in the Korean War. In Korea he and a group of soldiers helped run and finance a children's institution for Korean War orphans. That experience, along with having to bury vast numbers of abandoned Korean babies pulled from Pusan Bay, led him to resolve to save every child he could and cemented his future in child welfare. After the war, Jack graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1956 with a Master's Degree in Social Work and spent over 40 years working in the child welfare system. He first worked for a St. Louis orphanage for troubled adolescents, later rising to become Regional Director of the East St. Louis region for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and later becoming the Regional Director of Cook County Illinois. Under his leadership, he created many first-time programs, including the first specialized foster homes in Illinois, the first homemaker and specialized homemaker programs, house sitter programs for abandoned children, pre quality assurance reviews, foster parent associations and a shelter for troubled kids in Chicago. He mentored hundreds of social workers, was known and admired for his work ethic, commitment and integrity, and created numerous programs for the benefit of abused, neglected and foster children that are still in effect today. He moved to Columbus, OH in 1979 to become the Deputy Director of Franklin County Children's Services. As deputy director, FCCS improved programs to protect abused and neglected children, expanded family preservation services, placed record numbers of children in loving adoptive homes, developed emancipation and independent living services for older youth, and began to offer scholarships to youth in foster care who wanted to attend college. Upon his retirement in 1995, the agency established the Jack Donahue scholarship. Two graduating foster youth, whom he called "my kids", annually receive partial scholarships which help them attend a two-year or four-year college or university in Ohio. Jack's more than 40 years in child welfare have helped "save" thousands of children. Jack is preceded in death by his parents, his beloved aunt Mable Donahue, brothers Joe, John and Ron and sisters Maxine, Shirley and Marylyn and his best buddy Ben. Jack is survived by his loving wife, Marilyn Nelson Donahue (nee Struthers); daughters, Vicki (Ray) Wheatley and Gail (Tim) Mayer; grandchildren, Claire Wheatley, Kaitlyn Mayer and Nicholas Mayer; step son, Robert (Kathleen) Nelson; step daughter, Judith Nelson; brother, Jim Holderfield; first wife, Jacquelyn Bittner Donahue; step grandchildren, Elizabeth (Yohm) Peterson, Rob (Linsey) Nelson, Reed Nelson and Dane Nelson; and two step great grandchildren; and a multitude of loving and loyal friends. There will be a gathering of friends at JERRY SPEARS FUNERAL HOME with CREMATORY, 2693 W. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43204, Monday, May 25, from 4-6 p.m. Memorial service Tuesday, May 26,2015 at 10 a.m. at the Gender Road Christian Church, 5336 Gender Road, Canal Winchester, OH 43110. Rev. Cindy Bowman officiating. The family wishes to extend their deepest appreciation to Gentiva Hospice and ComForcare for their outstanding dedication to the care and comfort of Jack. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Franklin County Children's Fund-Jack Donahue Scholarship, 855 West Mound Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43223.