Obituary of J. Roger Donohue

In Memory of J Roger Donohue A Man of Faith, Family, Country Husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather; Eucharistic minister and Third Order Fanciscan; accountant; lifeguard; sportsman and sports fan. Each speaks to the life of fulfillment lived by John Roger Donohue, 1934-October, 3, 2020. Roger wedded his beloved late, wife Jean (date of birth - date of death July XX, 2013) on (date at St. Ignatius RC Parish in Long Beach. They are survived by their children, son Sean, a behavioral health counselor, and daughter Jeanmarie, a Catholic school principal. They also have three grandsons, Damian (DJ), Kevin and Christopher, the children of Jeanmarie and her husband, Damian, Sr., and this year celebrated the birth of great grandson, Nolan, who is the first child of Damian (DJ) and his wife Cara. Roger’s love of and devotion to his wife and family resulted in many countless memories made whether on the shoreline of Long Beach, summer vacations at Woodloch Pines in Hawley, PA, travels around the USA and overseas to Ireland; celebrating Christmas, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving, family birthdays, anniversaries and special achievements. He also received great joy from watching Sean compete in bowling and tennis; Jeanmarie in volleyball, and his grandsons in lacrosse, football, baseball, wrestling and rugby. Roger forged an illustrious career as a certified public accountant (CPA), helping build Edward Isaacs, LLP, into one of the most successful mid-major accounting firms in the USA, before it was acquired by McGladrey, LLP, formerly McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. A pioneer and expert of auditing, Roger served numerous years as an appointed officer and committee chair for the New York State CPA Society. After retirement, he maintained his membership with NYSCPA and volunteered his expertise in auditing to peers. Paramount to his family life and professional work was his faith. A steadfast, devoted and charitable Catholic, Roger attended daily mass, whether at Holy Innocents RC in Manhattan or St. Raymond’s RC in East Rockaway. He faithfully prayed the rosary every morning at 5AM before heading off to work, and in pursuit of deepening his spiritual life he answered the calling for a devotion to St. Francis Assisi and became a layman of the Franciscan Order. This calling led Roger to become a Third Order Franciscan and to establish a chapter on Long Island. In addition, upon his retirement, Roger devoted thousands of hours serving as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Raymond’s as well as a Volunteer Eucharistic Minister at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, NY, and Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY. In his teenage and adult years, before enrolling at St. John’s University in Queens to earn a degree in accounting, Roger served his community as a lifeguard for the City of Long Beach and enlisted in the US Air Force, ultimately serving as a member of its revered marching band. Last but certainly not least, Roger was a sportsman and sports enthusiast. He enjoyed a hearty tennis match, water skied well into his 70s, and completed a rigorous daily fitness routine that he continued up until the final months of his life. As he often contemplated the words of wisdom and the life of Paul the Apostle, one can attest that just as Paul wrote and did in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” So did John Roger Donohue.