Robert L. Donahue

1931 - 2025

Robert L. Donahue

March 8, 1931 - April 5, 2025

Robert L. Donahue, age 94, of rural Mauston, Wis. passed away Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Serenity House in Tomah, Wis. Robert ( Bob ) was born March 8, 1931 in Chicago, Ill. to Thomas Francis and Lucille Sophie (Feldman) Donahue. He grew up in Chicago, but spent most of his childhood summers in Mauston at Woodside Ranch, which was founded by his grandparents. He had great times with his cousin Bill Feldman who at one point had to be banished from Woodside after the two of them had too much fun and hijinks. His high school years he lived in San Francisco where his father was stationed at The Presidio, but he returned to Mauston to graduate with the class of 1948. Robert earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. While at Illinois he married Geraldine T. Bowser on March 21, 1959. He then went on to get his doctorate in composition from Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. Also in Ithaca his daughters Carrie (1961) and Emma (1963) were born. His composition teachers have included Cecil Burleigh, Hunter Johnson, Robert Palmer, Benjamin Johnston, and Karel Husa. He taught music composition at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and then for 35 years at Spelman College in Atlanta retiring in 1998. He is credited with over eighty publications of educational piano music, choral music and instrumental ensembles, and was commissioned to write works for saxophone. Among other notable achievements his Sonata #3 was a prizewinner in the Delius Festival and the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet performed his SEVEN MINIATURES in Norway at the Grieg Festival in '93. He was a member of the Southeastern Composers League, Society of Composers, Inc., American Music Center and ASCAP where he has won twelve special awards. In 1977, after 10 years in Atlanta, the family moved to an 8 acre farmette outside Newnan Ga. He really took to country life doing lots of wood chopping to keep the fires going. In addition to all the property management he worked on fencing for his daughters horses and the family finally got a dog! Babe was the first, then Blue, Bart, Foxy, Brunhilde and finally Lady. In 2002 he and his wife moved back to Mauston, after 35 years in the South, to be closer to their daughters and expected Granddaughter, Anna Lucille. The dogs continued with Buster and finally Sonny. In retirement, while living in Mauston, he continued writing "teaching" piano pieces. He built up a catalog of over 1000 pieces. When not composing, he loved to read, especially mysteries and thrillers as well as westerns and science fiction. He was a major football and basketball fan and enjoyed Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart's Daily Shows. He also had his daily habits of Wordle, Suduko, the Spelling Bee and solving Cryptoquotes.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Lucille; wife, Geraldine (2020); and sister, Jan Reynolds. Survivors include daughters, Carrie, and Emma McClintock (Dan McClintock); granddaughters, Anna McClintock and Bailee Marx (McClintock) her husband, Andy and their children, Eden and Halle. Robert's nephew, Patrick Reynolds, summed it up well: "He was a truly brilliant, immensely talented, and interesting man. A humble genius with a very gentle spirit". He will be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and teacher who provided and cared for his family and friends. Memorials may be directed in Bob's memory to the American Heart Association, the National Kidney Foundation and your local public library. Roseberry's Funeral Home is assisting the family. Visit www.roseberrys.com for online condolences.