Obituary of Thomas Reilly Donahue

Thomas Reilly Donahue III passed away on March 11, 2018 in Arlington, VA at the age of 58. Tom leaves behind his adored daughters, Erin (Richmond, VA), Megan (Peachtree City, GA), Mary Clare (Peachtree City, GA) and his former wife, Emily Donahue (Peachtree City, GA); his father and stepmother Tom and Rachelle Donahue (Washington, DC) and his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy Donahue and Tom Fogarty (Annandale, VA), as well as his nieces and nephews and many friends. He is preceded in death by his mother, Natalie Donahue. Tom was born on July 17, 1959 in Paris, France. He graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1977 and Fairfield University in 1983 with a degree in Politics. He married Emily Donahue in 1990. Early in his career, Tom served as an aide to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Tom was a highly respected public relations executive with a specialty in crisis communications. Over the course of his career, he worked for Ogilvy, Delta Air Lines, Porter Novelli, Matlock Advertising, AIM Sports Reputation Management, BlinkNow and founded Donahue & Associates. Tom loved his family, his cat, Gracie, and dog, Murphy. He had a passion for learning and picking up new hobbies, including speaking French, playing the Irish bodhran, and always working on his golf game. As an avid reader, he loved to share stories, some real, some made up, with everyone around him. Tom’s sharp wit, erratic fashion sense and love of all things Irish will be missed by all. A funeral is scheduled for noon on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington, VA. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Tom’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to BlinkNow or The Flax Trust.