William "Bill" Donahue | September 15, 1941 - January 23, 2022
Obituaries-Pierre / Posted Jan 25, 2022 | 5:30 AM / 546 views
Memorial Visitation: 5:00-7:00pm, Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at Feigum Funeral Home
Memorial Mass: 11:00am, Thursday, January 27, 2022 at St Pius X Catholic Church
Bill’s service may also be viewed online in the video window below:
William “Bill” Francis Donahue passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sunday, January 23rd at the age of 80. Memorial visitation will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at Feigum Funeral Home. Memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Thursday, January 27, 2022 at St Pius X Catholic Church, Onida, SD.
Bill was born to Kathleen and Thomas Donahue on September 15, 1941 in Pierre. After Kathleen’s death, Bill gained a second mom, LaVonne. He spent his childhood years in Sully County and graduated from Onida High School in 1959.
After graduation, Bill served his country in the United States Army. He was originally stationed in Hawaii and then deployed to Vietnam as a helicopter gunner. To this day, Bill was honored and proud to be recognized as a veteran.
In 1965, Bill returned home to Onida and married Karen Fox. Their 54 years of marriage resulted in seven children to love and care for. Bill loved his family. He cherished being a part of family gatherings and camping weekends. He enjoyed ball games, gardening, and afternoon visit with friends. He also appreciated anything western; books, boots, music, and a good ol’ rodeo.
Bill spent many years in an 18 wheeler hauling cattle, pipe, grain, and a plethora of other products. Some of his favorite runs were over mountain passes in the northwest. Upon leaving over the road trucking, Bill began a career with the Sully County Highway Department.
Bill is survived by his wife Karen and seven children; Shane (Kay), Zoe (Allen) Hiller, Kathy, Linda (Mike) McDaniel, James (Kelli), Mari Kramer, and Teri (Dennis) Weischedel, 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren and one sister, Jean. In heaven, Bill will be welcomed by his parents Kathleen, LaVonne, and Thomas Donahue.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Onida Fire Department or Sully County American Legion.
