James Donovan, 90, beloved husband of Irene McSweeney of Dorchester, went to heaven on the morning of Saturday, May 2, 2020.
Jim was born in Somerville, MA on December 18, 1929 to Timothy & Catherine (Mahoney), oldest of four. He attended St. Joseph’s School and completed his high school thru Lincoln Prep. Just before starting his education at Northeastern University he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He was selected to go to the Southeastern Signal School in Georgia and graduated as a high-speed radio operator. He served in the Korean War from September 1951 to September 1953.
He lived his childhood in Somerville with his parents and sisters. His sister Catherine died as an infant. His sister Mary died of an ether overdose during an operation to remove her tonsils at the age of 4. Jim was deeply impacted by the loss of his sister. His grief was replaced with happiness from the birth of his new sister Rose, whom he loved deeply. He loved going into Boston to watch a movie or to hang out with his friends. He reminisced about jumping on the back of the street cars. He loved his first car, a Studebaker car.
As a proud Uncle to Fr. Michael, Kristine, Kevin and Kathleen he was always happy to stop by to say hello or to attend key family activities, especially weddings and celebrating the sacraments. Last year we went on a Caribbean Cruise with Rose’s family, which he cherished. He enjoyed the family dinners with her family, especially the birthday parties with the grand nephews.
Jim had many jobs prior to finding his 60 year career at Fay, Spofford and Thorndike, delivering groceries as a child, working in the cafeteria at Harvard University, woodworking at a furniture company, and returning troops from WWII on the troop ships as a Merchant Marine. Work ethic was never an issue for Jim.
Upon return from Korea he met Gloria Kidby at a roller skate drive thru. They were married on August 2, 1958 and started their family. They were proud parents of five children, Julia, Laura, Tom, Lawrence and James. Over the years some of the children married and the family expanded to include Mary, Christine, John and Bob who gave them six grandchildren, Sarah, Emily, Christopher, Robert, Marissa and Daniel. He was always happy to attend sport games, drama performances or violin concerts. Jim had many fond memories of holiday meals, birthday parties and vacations in Alton Bay. He worked second shift at the South Boston Postal Annex to make ends meet. Working two jobs to support his family, weekends were cherished. He was a very active member in the Avon VFW, even being the post commander. As his career was nearing an end, his twin grandsons were born and he transitioned to part time work, taking care of them two days a week. One of his fondest memories was when he’d put the twins down for a nap and they would say to each other, “I think Grandpa’s asleep so we can sneak out of our cribs”, of course which resulted in, “I’m not asleep!" Cherished memories.
Jim’s faith was the soul of his body and the core to his personality. He was a commentator at St. Michael’s Church in Avon for many years. He taught CCD for many years to help form the next generation. He attended mass on Sunday. He transitioned to an usher until he moved to Dorchester. He was also a member of the Knight’s of Columbus at St. Michael’s Church.
Jim’s greatest impact was his sincerity, professionalism, kindness and drive for excellence. Wanting to improve himself, he applied for a position at Fay, Spofford and Thorndike as a drafter. He perfected this profession and was promoted to Chief Drafter, in charge of 20 drafters. He oversaw numerous projects and was proud to be part of the team to design Interstate 95 in New Jersey. Other accomplishments included being inspector in Gloucester, Dartmouth and many other towns, until he found himself in Kendall Square as the Project Engineer for the CRA. He then found his home in Boston from 1996 until his retirement in 2015. He was Resident Engineer or Principal Senior Field Engineer for the Muddy River Project, the Dorchester Sewer Separation Project, the Fort Point Channel Sewer Separation Project and the Reserved Channel Project. He became known as the paving expert, and remember he will be still watching! Excellence, cooperation and respect are three words that defined Jim’s professional career.
During his professional career at FST, he made many acquaintances and friends. His fondest moments were working on projects with his “boss” James Taylor. His expertise in infrastructure improvements made him a valued member of the team. During his 60 years he was known as a straight shooter, competent, professional and a gentleman. He was very much respected and was a great mentor to the next generation of engineers. When the office needed an answer or opinion, Jim was the go to guy. Friendships developed over many years. During one of those projects a friendship transitioned into romance, where he found his current wife, Irene. Even though many years separated them, the bond was once in a lifetime. They had the same work ethic, appreciation for others, professionalism and a deep faith. Irene and Jim were great dance partners, loved singing songs together and going on trips. In the past 15 years they enjoyed trips to Europe - Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Scotland, England, Ireland (even saw where his grandfather lived at Kelleher’s landing in Cork), the Caribbean islands, Mexico and cruises with Marsha and Jim, Alaska, San Francisco, Denver, Utah, Seattle, Vancouver, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Finger Lakes, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the list goes on…. But his most favorite was New York City. Irene would go to the end of the world for Jim, oh and they did, a 14 day cruise from Buenos Aries to Santiago Chile. During these adventures we would go on wine tasting tours, especially with Irene’s cousin Mariann and her husband Rick in California or in the Finger Lakes region with our friend MaryJo. He inherited four new sisters-in-law and families, but enjoyed the friendships that developed. During the past few months, he missed most the ability to dance. We enjoyed time together no matter what we were doing. Recently he admitted that he only had one regret, that he didn’t pursue his singing abilities. His mentors were Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, Irene often stating his voice was better than Franks! He is truly Unforgettable!
Funeral arrangements are being done by Casper Funeral Home of South Boston, MA. Services will be held on Monday, May 11, 2020 for family with burial at noon at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester. A memorial mass will take place at St. Ann’s Church, Neponset, in the future to celebrate Jim’s life. Jim was a very humble man and donated to numerous charities each year. Any donations in his memory to St. Ann’s Parish in his name would continue his love of supporting his church and charities. https://www.osvonlinegiving.com/1037