Larry passed away peacefully on September, 18th at his home in The Villages, Florida, in the remarkable care of his cherished companion of more than three decades, Mary Carpenter. He celebrated his 94th birthday in August.
Whether you knew him as Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Larry, Mr. "D", Coach, or Larry, he was truly an amazing man, with a gregarious nature, an enduring sense of humor and youthful spirit. Larry was born on August 19th 1932, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Laurence Sr. and Alice (McGinn) Donahue. Growing up on Lookout Avenue in North Providence, he spent many years playing youth sports. He went on to North Providence High, where he ran cross country and played baseball. He graduated in 1950 and attended Providence College for a short time before being drafted into the US Army. He served two years on active duty, followed by six years in the Reserves. After being honorably discharged, he went back to school, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
He became a teacher at his alma mater, North Providence High School, educating, counseling and coaching thousands of students over the next 34 years. Soon after starting his teaching career, he married, and had two sons, Larry (L J) and Shawn. He coached cross country for the next 30 years. His teams built a remarkable record of 121 wins and only 27 losses. He also was an assistant and then varsity baseball coach. In 1978, he became the inaugural coach of the outdoor track program. He began the Ski Club at the N.P. High School, which lasted for many years.
In 1989, he retired from full time teaching but continued to substitute teach and coach for a few years. Later on, Mary Carpenter became his partner, travel companion and best friend for the next 33 years until his passing. He was an avid cribbage player joining many organized leagues. He loved to ski, spending many winters in North Conway, N.H., enjoying his favorite trails on Mount Cranmore. He and Mary then headed south for warmer temperatures and more golfing opportunities, and relocated to Florida, where they spent the last 25 years. Over the years he managed to score three holes-in-one! An ardent Red Sox fan, he attended nearly every game when the team was in town to play Tampa Bay. He boasted about being at Fenway the only time his hero, Ted Williams, ever pitched in the majors, which left quite an impression on the then eight year old Larry.
He was blessed with three adoring grandchildren, Amanda, Jamie and Catie. He made frequent trips back home to Rhode Island to attend their birthday parties, sporting events and their many other activities. He and Mary loved to travel, driving across the country more than once, going on numerous cruises and enjoying many other memorable adventures.
He leaves behind his cherished companion, Mary Carpenter, of The Villages, FL. He also leaves two sons, Laurence Donahue and his wife Jenny, of Coventry, R.I. and Shawn Donahue of Lincoln, R.I., along with three grandchildren, Amanda Carley and her husband Rob of North Smithfield, R.I., James Donahue of Washington, D.C. and Catherine Donahue of Coventry R.I., as well as many treasured sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Robert and Gerald Donahue along with their parents.
A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 10 am, at St. Augustine Church, 639 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, R.I. Calling hours will be on Thursday, October 8th, from 4pm to 7pm at the Anderson Winfield Funeral Home, 2 Church Street, Greenville, R.I. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dana-Farber
The following was the eulogy delivered by Laurence Donahue, Jr. at the funeral mass.
First of all, on behalf of my Family, I’d like to thank all of you for taking time out of your lives to attend this service for my Dad, it means more to us than you know.
Whether you knew him as Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Larry, Mr. “D”, Coach, or just Larry, most of you likely have a personal story about this remarkable man. Some, I probably don’t even know about, but I’m pretty sure he made you feel special in that moment and maybe made an impression on some of your lives.
Growing up he set a great example for me and my brother. I remember when I was kid, I stole a box of baseball cards from a local convenience store, and Dad found out, well instead of giving me a beating, which was what I excepted, he took me back to the store and I had to volunteer to work there the next three Saturdays to make amends. I wasn’t thrilled at all, but it taught me an important life lesson. I think he taught many of us lessons like this, which has stuck with me, Shawn, and probably many here in attendance. He also influenced many students as an educator and coach over the years, and I’ve been contacted by many of them since his passing with condolences, and great memories of him which has helped a lot in the grieving process.
My Dad was known for his sense of humor and fun-loving nature and let’s face it, he was quite a character throughout his many years. As his dementia progressed, he didn’t have many filters and some of the stuff he would come out with was pretty crazy. If you knew him long enough, you wonder if he ever had many filters to begin with.
When Dad moved to the Florida, as some of you know, he became the unofficial ambassador for the Villages, the Disney World for retirees. He probably should have gotten a commission from the Homeowners Association. I remember when I turned 50, he enthusiastically stated, you are now eligible to live here. I wasn’t thrilled about being eligible yet, but I could tell he wanted to spend more time with his family.
He definitely loved his family, his sons, daughter in law, grandkids, and his nephews, nieces, and grand nephews and grandnieces very much.
Always, but especially towards the end, Mary, his longtime partner, took such wonderful care of my Dad, which I’m sure contributed to him living such a long life. Shawn and I will be forever grateful for this.
Living 94 years is a blessing from God, and today we pay tribute to a man, and a life, truly well lived” I wish and pray all of us here can have the same. I’m going to end this eulogy the way my Dad would end most of our phone conversations,
“Bye Bye, for Now”