John Donovan
By Kathy McGee Burns
“Enthusiasm is: a quiet spiritual strength; an inner glow; and faith in action.”
If you know John Donovan, as I do, you’ll see him immediately in this quote. These are the qualities this Mayfair native lives by.
John was born in St. Matthew Parish, one of the eight children of Jean (Dunn) and John Donovan. His parents were typical inner city, Irish-American, Catholic parents.
Jean, whose roots were Dublin and Mayo, was a stay-at-home mom; John (Cork and Sligo) worked two jobs to keep his family going. The Donovans later made that inevitable move to the suburbs—in their case, to Havertown (St. Dennis Parish). They managed to squeeze all eight kids—and a granddad—into a three- bedroom twin home: One room for the parents; one room for the two girls; and one room for the six boys and their grandfather.
And only one bathroom and, says John, “there were no locks on any door.”
Each year the kids would ask where they were going for vacation and their father would say, “Yardsville” referring to the backyard. As an occasional treat, they would go to Longport at the Jersey Shore for the day, changing in the car and off to visit Lucy the Elephant, in Margate. John tells these stories with such a twinkle in his eye.
His were loving but firm parents who expected the children to pay their own school tuitions and clothes themselves….and they all did. John went to Archbishop Carroll High School. and in order to earn tuition, he worked at General Mills from 3 to 6 PM in the mail room and 6 to 9 PM cleaning offices. While at Carroll, he became a National Honor Student and a Mathlete (an active participant in mathematical competition).
John went on to St. Joseph’s University as an accounting major and shared a room there with Jay Coyne. Jay had a very pretty sister, Elizabeth, who always turned up at their parties. There was an immediate attraction. After John graduated in May, he got his first job in August and married Elizabeth Coyne in September.
I asked John what first got him interested in his Irish heritage. Surprisingly, he said it was through the Coyne family. Their house was full of Irish music and John’s new in-laws, Jim and Ginny Coyne, were in touch with their roots. There was an awareness of Irish history and culture which very much appealed to John.
Today, Jim and John are very close. Jim Coyne told me that when Elizabeth first brought John home to the family, he was put off by his shoulder-length hair. Elizabeth said, “Daddy, he is really a nice person”. This was a monumental understatement, Jim says. “John is one of the finest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing,” says Jim.
Under Jim Coyne’s tutelage, John joined the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in 1977. He has been the secretary, vice president, president and now, director emeritus. Now theirs is a Friendly Sons family dynasty. Most of the Donovan and Coyne men have joined.
Through the Friendly Sons came one of John’s finest achievements. It was his father-in-law who led the charge to establish The Irish Memorial at Penns Landing, a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Irish immigrants who fled An gorta mor—the great hunger—to start new lives in America. But it was John Donovan who saw to all the minute details: construction, bookkeeping, government grants, auditors–he handled all the nuts and bolts.
Bob Hurst, past president of The Irish Memorial, says of John: “John Donovan is a rock solid man who places great importance on routine, where actions have consequences.” John, he says, is the epitome of trustworthiness, honesty, quiet strength, dependability and character.
The light of John’s life is his family. His inner glow shines when he talked about his seven brothers and sisters: Mary ( Marty Roddy) , Kathy (Michael Dolan), Joe and Anne, Father Bill, Ed and Ellen, Tom and Mary, Jim and Dana. Of course, there are his own kids and grandkids; Stephen and Michelle (Bree), Michael and Lori (Gabriella, Emma, Madeline and Jack), Beth, newly married to Brendan Egan, Brian and Susan (John). John and Elizabeth have been married for 35 years and he is an Executive at Compas, Inc which specializes in pharmaceutical marketing.
As for faith in action, the Donovans are loyal members of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish located near their hometown of Perkasie, Bucks County.
John Donovan is being honored by the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame this Sunday, November 13, at The Irish Center, along with Kathleen Murtagh and Tom Farrelly. For information or tickets, contact President Kathy McGee Burns at 215-872-1305.
