Dennis M. "Mike" Donovan

In loving memory of Dennis Michael (Mike) Donovan. He embraced life May 16, 1944 - October 2, 2020 when his battle with lung cancer ended at his home in Hockinson, WA. Mike was born in Evanston, Illinois to Mike and Betty Donovan and grew up in Rogers Park and Wilmette IL where he graduated from Loyola Academy. He was educated as a Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineer at Marquette and Carnegie Mellon Universities and worked in a variety of registered professional engineering roles at US Steel, American Shear and Knife Company, Westinghouse Research, Lindberg Heat Treating, Tempel Steel and various consulting practices. He was so much more; an inventor, designer, builder, researcher, and teacher. He was a good neighbor and friend to all he knew. Mike had his "right" and well documented way of doing things and a passion for teaching these things to others; this included math, chemistry, traditional jazz, remodeling or building a home, cooking, historical firearms, the best way to drive the tractor, or use of the chipper, etc. Mike said he wanted to be remembered as someone who worked hard and got the job done. As his grandchildren say "Papa can fix anything." He was a tough but fair day-to-day father but on holidays and vacations he was the biggest kid of the bunch. This is the carefree person he became permanently to his grandchildren. He died as he lived, surrounded by family and friends and always teaching and modeling family values to the very end. Mike was the eldest of four children and is survived by Marilee (Ivers), his wife of 55 years, his son Stephen (Lynn) of Milton, GA and daughter Kathryn Burton (David) of Battle Ground, WA; grandchildren Ryan, Brenna and Kyleigh Donovan and Natalie and Scott (Alexis Pollichronakis) Laack; soon to be born great-grandson Donovan Laack; and brothers John (Jan) of Beaufort, SC and Brian (Connie) Donovan of Prescott, AZ, and sister Nancy Kane of Mentor, OH; nieces and nephews and a myriad of amazing friends in various states and County Cork, Ireland. Funeral arrangements by Evergreen Memorial Gardens; hopefully we will be able to plan a Celebration of Life in May 2021. In lieu of flowers, please send donations is his name to Hillsdale College to honor his love for education and country and his passion for the constitution and the amazing job done by the founding fathers (https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/donate) or to Kaiser Permanente Northwest Hospice for helping all of us navigate the most difficult time in our lives (2701 Northwest Vaughn, #140, Portland OR 97210).