MAURICE M. DONOVAN
| Visit Guest Book
Maurice "Maury" Marshall Donovan, 90, of Kansas City, formerly of Wilmington, Delaware, died peacefully Thursday, February 2, 2012 in the comfort and care of his devoted wife, Freda. He was born January 17, 1922 in Wilmington, Delaware, the son of Charles Stokley and Mollie Marshall Donovan. He graduated from Nakomis High School in Venice, Florida in 1939 and attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he served in southern France and North Africa. Maury began working for the DuPont Company before voluntarily joining the U.S. Navy. After his military service, he returned to work at DuPont, where he retired after 40 years. He was a life member of both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (V.F.W.). His favorite avocations were drawing caricatures for many DuPont Company retirement announcements, deep sea fishing, gardening, and singing with his Barbershop quartets and choruses. During his 25 years of singing, he enjoyed performing at different venues, including Carnegie Hall and the 1964 New York World's Fair. One quartet, "The Melloaires," was Mid-Atlantic District Champion in 1951. A founding member of the West Chester, Pennsylvania chapter of the Barbershop Singing of America, he also sang lead in another quartet, "The Compatibles," who in 1970, appeared in the Brandywiners' production of The Music Man at Longwood Gardens. Maury married Freda Evelyn Mumaw on August 20, 1949 at The Little Church Around the Corner in New York City, New York. She survives, as well as three daughters: Maureen Donovan Carman (William), of Versailles, Kentucky; Sharon Donovan Coffman (John), of Kansas City, Missouri; and Carole Donovan Pugh (James), of Northbrook, Illinois. Surviving cousins include Justine Kitchen (William), and Adrian Donovan (Martha); as well as nine grandchildren and two great-grandsons. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and half-brother, Lewis Donovan. Maury's family would like to extend its sincere appreciation to the wonderful, caring staff at Crossroads Hospice, Dr. W. Paul Grayson and Mid-America Heart Institute of Saint Luke's Health System of Kansas City, Missouri. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be in the Onaga Cemetery in Onaga, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Crossroads Hospice, Kansas City, Missouri; the American Legion; the V.F.W.; or charity of choice . Memorials may be sent in care of the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, P.O. Box 312, Onaga, Kansas, 66521. Online condolences may be expressed at chapeloaksfuneralhome.com.
Published in Kansas City Star on February 8, 2012
Read more here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansascity/obituary.aspx?n=maurice-m-donovan&pid=155792411&eid=sp_ommatch#storylink=cpy