Thomas F. Donohue, Sr. Obituary (1938

Thomas F. Donohue, Sr., 82, passed away at Vista East Hospital on Friday, October 30, 2020. Tom was born in Waukegan May 26, 1938 to John and Helen Donohue, the 9th of 12 children. Tom lived his entire life in Waukegan and loved the city. He graduated from Immaculate Conception, WTHS and worked for the City of Waukegan for 35+ years. He served on the Waukegan School Board for 12 years, serving as its president his last term. He was a champion of Waukegan students, often taking their side in issues before the Board. Tom was amazing in his resilience in dealing with medical issues – including being the first recipient of a liver and kidney transplant at the Mayo Clinic in 1995. The family is especially grateful to the medical team at Mayo; specifically, Dr. Thomas Schwab and Dr. Russell Weisner who oversaw his successful 25+ years after transplant. The gratitude also extends to his local team of physicians; Dr. Rashmikant Patel, Dr. Leon Sujata, Dr. Srilanth Davuluri and Dr. Maher Nahlawi and their Staffs, whose care and compassion were exceptional. Tom was extremely social and outgoing, striking up a conversation with anyone who would listen. He loved talking about and relating Waukegan stories, especially with his McDonald’s cohorts. His family was his treasure, and he adored his grand-daughters and enjoyed taking them on trips and hearing of their accomplishments. He was a die-hard Cub fan and could not believe he lived to see them win a World Series. He even tolerated Jan’s White Sox! He shared Jan’s love of travel and was thrilled to see The Vatican, Notre Dame Cathedral, his home county in Ireland and especially loved Tenerife. Tom is survived by his longtime companion, Janice Schroeder, Jan’s daughter Jean H. Schroeder, his son, Thomas F. Donohue, Jr. (Carole), daughter Dina Chase, grand-daughters, Claire (Geoff), Corinne (Braxton) and Madelynn; sisters Rosalie Henry and Sharon (John) McFarland, and 31 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Helen, daughter Dana L, brothers Robert, David, John L., Michael, and Howard; sisters Patricia, Geraldine, Janet and Mary Lee and his beloved Ethel. Funeral mass will be 11:00 AM, Saturday, November 7, 2020 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church 15000 W. Wadsworth Rd. Wadsworth, Illinois. Interment will Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville. Visitation will be from 10:30 AM to time of mass at the church. In lieu of flowers donations in Tom’s memory may be made to: The Gift of Life Transplant House, 705 Second Street, SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55902. Arrangements are under the direction of Peterson & Patch Funeral Home 408 N. Sheridan Rd. Waukegan. Please sign our online guestbook at www.waukeganfunerals.com.