VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Dr. James “Jim” F. Donovan, the son of Dr. Joseph Donovan and Mary O’Hare Donovan, died peacefully and surrounded by family on July 26, 2021. Born in Houlton in 1923, the state and its people held a cherished place in his heart as did Glastonbury, Conn. where he raised his family and had many treasured and lifelong friends. His life was exemplified by the service he gave to his country as a young man during World War II, the knowledge and generosity he brought to his many patients over the years, his loving devotion and support of family, and the wonderful example he set for any and all who were lucky enough to know him. He is much loved and will be dearly missed. An orthopaedic surgeon by profession, he was part of a large family with roots in the practice of medicine. His great-uncle, John Donovan, was a surgeon and chief of staff of the Lewiston Maine General Hospital, his father Joseph Donovan was a general practitioner, general surgeon and chief of staff at Madigan Memorial Hospital, his older brother, Thomas Donovan, became a cardiovascular surgeon in Hartford and his son Matthew, an orthopaedic surgeon in York. As a child, young Jim and his brother, Tom, accompanied their father on house calls in rural Maine, traveling by sleigh in winter. He entered the University of Maine in 1941, and enlisted in the Army Reserve Corp in June 1943 before being called to serve in the Pacific Theater of WWII. He was staging for invasion of Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped. After his discharge in February, 1946, he returned to the University of Maine to complete his degree in engineering. While at Maine he was a Sophomore Owl, Senior Skull, president of his fraternity, and president of UMaine’s class of 1945. He was awarded the Washington County service award upon graduation, like his sisters Alice Anne and Fran before him. A former running back on the UMaine football team and third baseman on the UMaine baseball team, he was a gifted athlete, tennis player and golfer, as well as an unwavering Red Sox, Boston Bruins and UMaine fan. He played semi-pro baseball from 1946-50 for the Houlton Collegians.After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1952, where he made several lifelong friends who were a bright light in later years, he completed his orthopaedic surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. While in Boston, he met his future wife and soul-mate Peggy. They were married in 1954 and moved to Glastonbury, Conn. where they raised five children before moving to Kennebunk in retirement. In the last years of his life he moved to the home of his daughter, Kate, and her husband Phil, in Virginia Beach, Va. Jim joined his brother, Tom, on staff at Hartford Hospital where he dedicated the next 35 years of his life to children’s, general orthopaedics, and early sports medicine. He volunteered his surgical expertise at Newington Children’s Hospital and supported numerous local sporting programs including the Glastonbury school system, Trinity College, the University of Maine and professional initiatives including the Aetna World Cup and indoor soccer. He was a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and founding member and president of the Orthopedics Associates of Hartford. He shared with his family a love of sports, history, poetry (most particularly that of Robert Service, whose poems he could recite by heart), music and an enduring love of family itself. He was a generous and lifelong friend to many, who found that a keen sense of humor was key to navigating hard times. Calls and frequent updates from family and friends did much to raise his spirits in his later years. He adored a fine cigar (in his earlier days), and a good joke, and was a lifelong collector of stories which he shared with friends and acquaintances alike. He had a talent for recognizing the ridiculous, and a deep sense of humility and gratitude for all he had been given. A faithful supporter of the University of Maine and the Donovan family scholarship in support of students from Aroostook County, he received the University’s “Block M” award for outstanding service in 1995. He was predeceased by his lifelong love, Margaret “Peggy” Dignam Donovan in 2007. Survivors include his five children and their spouses, James (Courtney) Donovan (Donna) of Wakefield, Mass.; Matthew Joseph Donovan (Anne) of York, Meg Donovan of Alexandria, Va., Katherine O’Hare Donovan McGuinn (Phil) of Virginia Beach, Va., and Michael Dignam Donovan (Emily) of Falls Church, Va.; and numerous nephews, nieces; and extended family. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, Brendan, Jason and Julie Donovan, and Kristan and Paul Kelloway of Wakefield, Mass., William, Suzanne, Kara, and Jonathan Donovan, and Yezena Degu Endeshaw Donovan of York, Houlton and Drake McGuinn of Virginia Beach, Va., and Katherine and Joe Donovan of Falls Church, Va. He had five great-grandchildren, Cameron Olson, and Jenna, Jason “JJ”, Callie and Evan “EJ” Donovan. He is also survived by “granddog” (Mic Mac McGuinn), ever his faithful companion, and “grandcats” Dublin and Moscow Donovan. A memorial reception will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Selamta Family Project (www. selamtafamilyproject.org) or the Joseph A. and Mary A. Donovan family scholarship at the University of Maine (our.maine.edu/Donovan).

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