John Thomas Donahue, 74

John Thomas Donahue, 74 of Wareham, passed away peacefully at his home in Parkwood Beach on September 1, 2026, after a courageous six-year battle with cancer.  He leaves behind the love of his life, best friend, and partner of 48 years, Margaret Jane (Collins) Donahue.

Born in Boston, on August 30, 1952, he was the son of the late Jean Therese and Daniel Joseph Donahue. He married Jane in 1978, and together they built a life that was focused on family, careers, public service and joy.

John had a thirst for knowledge and his formal education was long and varied. He graduated from Brockton High School in 1970 and because of his childhood and friendships in Wareham, was also an honorary member of the WHS graduating class that same year. He went on to obtain an Associates Degree in English from Massasoit Community College and completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1978. He achieved his dream of earning his Juris Doctorate from the Southern New England School of Law in 2001. 

John proudly served the public in his career as Principal Property Tax Assessor in several communities. He worked in the Town of Wareham for 17 years, beginning in 1979, where, at age 28, he was the youngest elected official in the town. As a member of the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers, he received numerous awards. His passion for justice and equality was well known. He was dedicated to serving the entire community professionally and socially. During those years he cosponsored a number of legislative actions to reform property tax equity in favor of the average homeowner. After graduating from law school, he worked for a time as a Probation Officer at The Wareham District Courthouse. He retired in May 2021, after ten years with the Town of West Bridgewater. He was also the sole proprietor of John T. Donahue and Associates, a property appraisal business, for 30 years. We are convinced that he knew every road and every shortcut in Southeastern Massachusetts.

He believed in service and social justice. He gave back to his community in countless other ways. He served first as a Director and then Treasurer of the Onset Cape Verdean Festival for ten years. He was elected as Town Moderator in 2001 and served for ten years in that capacity. He and his family loved baseball and volunteered to host college players for the Wareham Gateman baseball team across many summers. He also loved to golf and entered countless tournament fundraisers in support of charitable organizations. John served as President and Director of his Parkwood Beach Association. He dedicated 33 years as Chair of the Wareham Democratic Town Committee, helping to put Wareham on the political map with membership in the Plymouth Democratic League. John helped to elect Governors, Congressmen and Senators, for whom Wareham was often the first stop on their road to election including Governor Deval Patrick, Congressmen Barney Frank and Bill Keating and Senators Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren and Marc Pacheco. He was a lifetime member of the Wareham Lodge of Elks, The Improved Order of Redman Cromesett Tribe #156, the Wareham Land Trust, the Knights of Columbus, and a lifelong communicant of St Patrick’s Church.

In addition to his education and career, John maintained several hobbies and always pursued them with passion and persistence. John never stopped reading – from the weekly newspaper delivered to his home (completing the crossword and never forgetting to check the funny pages or the weekly sales flyers) to the biographies and novels that filled the shelves of his office. He was a project enthusiast and as such, by studying up on best practices and relying on experts, he acquired several skills from cabinet making to landscaping and none of it was worth doing unless it could be done “right.” He was an excellent (if at times daring) skier, played on the church league softball team, spent many nights playing hockey with friends, and even played “old man” basketball. He loved music and often had MVY or NPR playing in the background while he puttered. He appreciated travel for all of the ways it expanded his view of the world –reveling in museums, historical sites, new cuisines and experiences along the way. He was happiest on a beach chair in full sun – overlooking the intercoastal river in Florida or on the side beach with his hat tipped down and often snoozing.

Over and above all of his other learning, service, and life experience – he placed family. He was an attentive and thoughtful husband. John and Jane did everything together, they were almost inseparable. He was an amazing father to his two girls; never failing to take them for a bike ride or a late-night movie in their pajamas, serving as a surfboard in any swimming pool he encountered, encouraging their interests and instilling life’s most important values. He was a supportive and generous brother to his siblings, who could always count on him to be there. He was always the fun dad, uncle, cousin, and nephew – never being afraid to experience life’s joyous moments with a childlike enthusiasm. He was always equipped with a good joke, and he always rewarded others with his big belly laugh. He waited for many years to become a grandfather and he was possibly the very best one the world has ever seen. He found happiness and satisfaction in maintaining friendships – whether you knew him since the second grade or met him at a political event last week (or even if you had been one of his many nurses or caregivers in the years toward the end of his life). He loved celebrating every birthday, anniversary, wedding, and holiday, and danced his way through all of the events with gusto. He was a man of honesty and integrity. He was an excellent listener. He never complained. John cherished life and lived it to the fullest – and shared it with everyone he encountered along the way.

He is survived by his daughters, Mary Theresa Donahue of East Bridgewater, MA, Elizabeth Jean (Donahue) Sztuk, her husband Stephen Sztuk, and his granddaughter Margaret “Maggie” Sztuk of Brookline, MA, his brothers, Kevin (Ruth) Donahue of Tampa, FL and Gregg (Katherine) Donahue of Wareham, his sisters, Marybeth Fernandes, also of Wareham, and Danielle (Timothy) Berriault of Tampa, and his stepsister, Lisa (Allan) Kirk of Bozeman, MT. He is also survived by twenty nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his stepbrother Greg Bithell and his stepmother Marita Donahue.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Friday, September 11, 2026 at Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Wareham, 2599 Cranberry Hwy. (Rt. 28), Wareham from 4 to 7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at St. Patrick’s Church, 94 High St., Wareham at 11 AM. Please go directly to church. Interment will follow in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Tihonet Rd., Wareham.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to MGH Cancer Center.
https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/cancer-center