Richard "Dick" Donahue

Richard  (Dick) Jennings Donahue, 96, died on February 25 at Aggie’s Country Living.

He was born in the town of Sampson to Merritt and Laura (Shipman) Donahue on August 10, 1926. He grew up on the family farm with a loving family, learning all of the virtues that made him the man that he was. He talked of his dad farming with horses, the great depression, the house getting electricity and how excited they would all be to see a plane fly over. He attended the one room school house a mile down the road.

He graduated from New Auburn High School where he played basketball, baseball and learned how to box. Even though he could have had a deferment, he enlisted in the US Army in 1944 to be with his brothers who were in the service. World War II had already started, his brother Dan was in Africa and then Italy, Jack was in the Philippine Islands and then Japan, and Dick docked in the Philippine Islands. He landed on the island of Leyte, then shipped to Mindanao, where he saw action and then on to Cebu, to train for the invasion of Japan.  He was picked to infiltrate the Japanese line and map out the area for the attack. Thankfully, that never came to fruition. His unit, the First Calvary Division, would have been the first wave, estimated to have had 50%-70% casualties. After the bomb he was then sent to Yokohama and later to Tokyo.  After 2 years of service he was honorably discharged as a Tech Sergeant.

When he came home he married his sweetheart, Verona Moon, on June 11, 1949. They have celebrated 73 anniversaries together.  He was always busy.  Some of his accomplishments, were teaching Sunday School, being on the church council at both St. John’s Lutheran Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. He was a Boyscout leader, coached various little league teams, played baseball on various teams, bowled, golfed (until the age of 90), cross country skied, snowshoed, walked, at least a mile every day, (until his legs just couldn’t do it anymore), and played dartball on various church teams in his later years. And he loved to go to coffee with his friends.

 He was the assistant manager of O&N Lumber in Bloomer, later joining the Carpenters Union, where he spent the rest of his career.  He was a City Zoning Adminstrator for Bloomer. He was a member of the Carpenters Union Local 1074, a member of the American Legion, a Lifetime member of the VFW and a friend of the Methodist Church.

He is survived by his loving wife, Verona, his two children, Mark, of Tucson, AZ and Dawn(John) Clements of Bloomer.  His grandchildren, Snow(Chuck Polmanter) Trottier of Bloomer, Forest(Nicole) Clements of New Auburn, Sage(Angela) Clements of Bloomer, Kale(Kailee) Clements of Bloomer, and Heather Robinson of Colfax.

His great-grandchildren; Mika Trottier, Zayden, Ethan, and Neven Polmanter, Collin, Malania, and Aspen Robinson, Nora Jensen, Tytain, Tilly, and Tuck Clements, and Benton and Heath Clements. Special friends, Clayton Robinson, caretakers, Joni Bischel and later Karen LaGesse, Dick Hassemer, their foreign exchange student, Pipob (Saosamorn) Lumyong, and nieces and nephews.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, Merritt and Laura, his in-laws, Merton and Emma Moon, his brothers and sister-in-laws, Wayne (Dan) and Frances Donahue, John (Jack) and Corrine Donahue, and his sister and husband, Barbara and Charles Hanson, and their special friend, John LaGesse.

Dick was one of the most honest and kind men you could ever meet.  He never had a bad word to say about anyone.  As his grandsons put it “he set the bar really high”. He will be missed tremendously by his family.

A private service will be held on a later date with Military rights by the Bloomer American Legion, AMVETS and VFW.  Olson Funeral Home in Bloomer is assisting the family online condolences may be expressed at olsonfuneralhomebloomer.com