Thomas W. Donohue Obituary
denver, Arizona, United States
June 18, 1927 - August 13, 2017
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Thomas W. Donohue Obituary
Jun 18, 1927 - Aug 13, 2017
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Donohue, Sr., Thomas W. Thomas W. Donohue, Sr., 90, of Denver, Colorado, formerly of Paradise Valley, Arizona, passed away peacefully with family by his side in Phoenix on August 13, 2017. Tommy was born on June 18, 1927, in Sioux City, Iowa, the youngest son of John Joseph "Jiggs" and Margaret Josephine "Jo" (Coleman) Donohue. A proud veteran, Tommy served in the United States
Army at the end of
World War II. After receiving his honorable discharge, he attended Iowa State College in Ames. A longtime Denver cattleman, Tommy began his career in 1949 in Sioux City where the Donohue family played a prominent role in establishing Sioux City as one of the nation's largest livestock markets of that era. During the glory days of the Sioux City Stockyards, Tommy's father, Jiggs, promoted his company, Rice Brothers, by bringing celebrities to Sioux City. For example, Jiggs brought baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to the Stock Yards Ball Park for a barnstorming game the year Tommy was born. After working in the livestock business in both Sioux City and Sioux Falls, Tommy moved to Denver in 1953 to continue his career as a cattleman. "I was raised, you might say, at the [Sioux City] yards. I learned from the old timers and went on my way to the Denver Stockyards," he wrote in a journal. In 1964, Tommy served as President of the Denver Stockyards Dealers Exchange. That same year, his brother Ken served as President of the Sioux City Livestock Exchange, making them "the only such brother-duo to head important organizations of the nation's major livestock markets in recent history," according to the Sioux City Journal. Meanwhile, their brother Phil was a leading dealer at the Sioux Falls Stockyards in South Dakota. An avid golfer, Tommy was a longtime member of Cherry Hills Country Club in the Denver area and Paradise Valley Country Club in the Phoenix area. At Cherry Hills, he won the club's legendary Hillsdilly member-guest golf tournament twice (in 1977 with his brother Phil and in 1970 with a different partner) and was named honorary Mr. Hillsdilly in 1976. For his accomplishments as a track star in high school, Tommy was inducted into the Sioux City Relays Hall of Fame in 2012. Tommy was the beloved father of three children: Tom Jr. (Jeri) and Margaret, both of Scottsdale, and Dan, deceased. To his dying day, he loved their mother, Georgia, his wife of over 30 years, who also lives in Scottsdale. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Margaret's sons: Phil, Ben and Jack. Survivors also include his twin sister, Joanne Loughlin Sanderson of Cherokee, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his brothers: Jimmie, Ken, Jack and Phil. Tommy will be missed dearly. He loved meeting new people, hearing their life stories and telling them his. A funeral mass will be held at Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Parish in Scottsdale on Friday, September 22nd at 10:30 a.m. A graveside service will follow on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.
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