December 5, 2010 - The Mining Journal
Daniel McDonnell
MARQUETTE - Daniel J. McDonnell, 80, former longtime Marquette resident and most recently of Wyoming (Grand Rapids) Michigan, passed away Friday morning after suffering complications from pneumonia and is now at peace.
Born January 3, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA. to James and Gertrude (Irbin) McDonnell, Dan proudly served his country as an Army/Air Force Medic for 20 years. During a distinguished military career in which he logged more than 50,000 miles of safe flying, Dan met and married (03.04.63) Elizabeth "Betty" Zeish and upon retirement from the Air Force in 1967, they settled in Marquette, MI.
After working downtown at Montgomery Wards, Dan became a radio operator/dispatcher for Marquette County in 1978 and worked for 20 years in what ultimately became E911 for Marquette County. He was affectionately known to those who listened to their scanners as Radio Operator "Mac-Donnell" and "Mac" to his friends at the State Police Post.
After retiring, Dan focused on spending time with his family and friends where everyone he knew and everyone he met cherished his selfless nature, compassionate spirit and unfailing optimism. He often simply encouraged people to "Enjoy whatever you're going to be doing!"
He was loved by many and faithfully remembered his friends' birthdays and anniversaries. Dan would send greeting cards cheerfully decorated with stickers and heartwarming sentiments that never went unappreciated. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, loyally supporting his team every week.
He enjoyed many card, dice, and board games, but mostly enjoyed playing Scrabble, ("What's the name of the game?") Yahtzee!, Chicken, and Quiddler. He also got a great deal of satisfaction from sitting in his comfortable chair and watching favorite TV shows; NCIS, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, WWE Wrestling, and classics like: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murder She Wrote and Hawaii Five-O.
Along the way, Dan garnered the endearing moniker: "PapaYooper". He enjoyed his many trips to Minnesota, Texas, and Grand Rapids to spend time visiting his children and grandchildren, and making new friends along the way. He moved to Wyoming, MI. in the fall of 2008 to be closer to family, but never lost touch with his Marquette ties.
Dan is survived, and will be sadly missed but fondly remembered, by his sons; Gregory McDonnell of Harvey and Joseph McDonnell of Ypsilanti, MI., and daughters; Lea (James) DeMaagd of Wyoming MI and Ellen Sue McDonnell of Bloomington MN; two grandsons, Nicholas and Zachary DeMaagd, both of Wyoming, MI.; his brother James (Shirley) McDonnell of Honey Brook, PA.; many wonderful nieces and nephews and special close friends; George "Pete" Rose, Mary Grace Olson, Mary Hanson, David Hanson, and Carol DeMaagd.
His beloved wife Betty, his parents, his sisters; Trudy and Marian, and his brother Jackie, all preceded Dan in death.
The family will greet friends and relatives on Monday from 4PM until 7PM at the Fassbender Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter's Cathedral on Tuesday at 10 AM with Rev. Michael J. Steber officiating. Interment will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette. In lieu of flowers, friends may offer Mass cards on behalf of Dan and Betty McDonnell.
The Fassbender Funeral Home is serving the family where condolences may be expressed online at: www.fassbenderfuneralhome.com
Daniel McDonnell
MARQUETTE - Daniel J. McDonnell, 80, former longtime Marquette resident and most recently of Wyoming (Grand Rapids) Michigan, passed away Friday morning after suffering complications from pneumonia and is now at peace.
Born January 3, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA. to James and Gertrude (Irbin) McDonnell, Dan proudly served his country as an Army/Air Force Medic for 20 years. During a distinguished military career in which he logged more than 50,000 miles of safe flying, Dan met and married (03.04.63) Elizabeth "Betty" Zeish and upon retirement from the Air Force in 1967, they settled in Marquette, MI.
After working downtown at Montgomery Wards, Dan became a radio operator/dispatcher for Marquette County in 1978 and worked for 20 years in what ultimately became E911 for Marquette County. He was affectionately known to those who listened to their scanners as Radio Operator "Mac-Donnell" and "Mac" to his friends at the State Police Post.
After retiring, Dan focused on spending time with his family and friends where everyone he knew and everyone he met cherished his selfless nature, compassionate spirit and unfailing optimism. He often simply encouraged people to "Enjoy whatever you're going to be doing!"
He was loved by many and faithfully remembered his friends' birthdays and anniversaries. Dan would send greeting cards cheerfully decorated with stickers and heartwarming sentiments that never went unappreciated. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, loyally supporting his team every week.
He enjoyed many card, dice, and board games, but mostly enjoyed playing Scrabble, ("What's the name of the game?") Yahtzee!, Chicken, and Quiddler. He also got a great deal of satisfaction from sitting in his comfortable chair and watching favorite TV shows; NCIS, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, WWE Wrestling, and classics like: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murder She Wrote and Hawaii Five-O.
Along the way, Dan garnered the endearing moniker: "PapaYooper". He enjoyed his many trips to Minnesota, Texas, and Grand Rapids to spend time visiting his children and grandchildren, and making new friends along the way. He moved to Wyoming, MI. in the fall of 2008 to be closer to family, but never lost touch with his Marquette ties.
Dan is survived, and will be sadly missed but fondly remembered, by his sons; Gregory McDonnell of Harvey and Joseph McDonnell of Ypsilanti, MI., and daughters; Lea (James) DeMaagd of Wyoming MI and Ellen Sue McDonnell of Bloomington MN; two grandsons, Nicholas and Zachary DeMaagd, both of Wyoming, MI.; his brother James (Shirley) McDonnell of Honey Brook, PA.; many wonderful nieces and nephews and special close friends; George "Pete" Rose, Mary Grace Olson, Mary Hanson, David Hanson, and Carol DeMaagd.
His beloved wife Betty, his parents, his sisters; Trudy and Marian, and his brother Jackie, all preceded Dan in death.
The family will greet friends and relatives on Monday from 4PM until 7PM at the Fassbender Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter's Cathedral on Tuesday at 10 AM with Rev. Michael J. Steber officiating. Interment will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette. In lieu of flowers, friends may offer Mass cards on behalf of Dan and Betty McDonnell.
The Fassbender Funeral Home is serving the family where condolences may be expressed online at: www.fassbenderfuneralhome.com
December 5, 2010 - The Mining Journal
Daniel McDonnell
MARQUETTE - Daniel J. McDonnell, 80, former longtime Marquette resident and most recently of Wyoming (Grand Rapids) Michigan, passed away Friday morning after suffering complications from pneumonia and is now at peace.
Born January 3, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA. to James and Gertrude (Irbin) McDonnell, Dan proudly served his country as an Army/Air Force Medic for 20 years. During a distinguished military career in which he logged more than 50,000 miles of safe flying, Dan met and married (03.04.63) Elizabeth "Betty" Zeish and upon retirement from the Air Force in 1967, they settled in Marquette, MI.
After working downtown at Montgomery Wards, Dan became a radio operator/dispatcher for Marquette County in 1978 and worked for 20 years in what ultimately became E911 for Marquette County. He was affectionately known to those who listened to their scanners as Radio Operator "Mac-Donnell" and "Mac" to his friends at the State Police Post.
After retiring, Dan focused on spending time with his family and friends where everyone he knew and everyone he met cherished his selfless nature, compassionate spirit and unfailing optimism. He often simply encouraged people to "Enjoy whatever you're going to be doing!"
He was loved by many and faithfully remembered his friends' birthdays and anniversaries. Dan would send greeting cards cheerfully decorated with stickers and heartwarming sentiments that never went unappreciated. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, loyally supporting his team every week.
He enjoyed many card, dice, and board games, but mostly enjoyed playing Scrabble, ("What's the name of the game?") Yahtzee!, Chicken, and Quiddler. He also got a great deal of satisfaction from sitting in his comfortable chair and watching favorite TV shows; NCIS, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, WWE Wrestling, and classics like: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murder She Wrote and Hawaii Five-O.
Along the way, Dan garnered the endearing moniker: "PapaYooper". He enjoyed his many trips to Minnesota, Texas, and Grand Rapids to spend time visiting his children and grandchildren, and making new friends along the way. He moved to Wyoming, MI. in the fall of 2008 to be closer to family, but never lost touch with his Marquette ties.
Dan is survived, and will be sadly missed but fondly remembered, by his sons; Gregory McDonnell of Harvey and Joseph McDonnell of Ypsilanti, MI., and daughters; Lea (James) DeMaagd of Wyoming MI and Ellen Sue McDonnell of Bloomington MN; two grandsons, Nicholas and Zachary DeMaagd, both of Wyoming, MI.; his brother James (Shirley) McDonnell of Honey Brook, PA.; many wonderful nieces and nephews and special close friends; George "Pete" Rose, Mary Grace Olson, Mary Hanson, David Hanson, and Carol DeMaagd.
His beloved wife Betty, his parents, his sisters; Trudy and Marian, and his brother Jackie, all preceded Dan in death.
The family will greet friends and relatives on Monday from 4PM until 7PM at the Fassbender Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter's Cathedral on Tuesday at 10 AM with Rev. Michael J. Steber officiating. Interment will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette. In lieu of flowers, friends may offer Mass cards on behalf of Dan and Betty McDonnell.
The Fassbender Funeral Home is serving the family where condolences may be expressed online at: www.fassbenderfuneralhome.com
Daniel McDonnell
MARQUETTE - Daniel J. McDonnell, 80, former longtime Marquette resident and most recently of Wyoming (Grand Rapids) Michigan, passed away Friday morning after suffering complications from pneumonia and is now at peace.
Born January 3, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA. to James and Gertrude (Irbin) McDonnell, Dan proudly served his country as an Army/Air Force Medic for 20 years. During a distinguished military career in which he logged more than 50,000 miles of safe flying, Dan met and married (03.04.63) Elizabeth "Betty" Zeish and upon retirement from the Air Force in 1967, they settled in Marquette, MI.
After working downtown at Montgomery Wards, Dan became a radio operator/dispatcher for Marquette County in 1978 and worked for 20 years in what ultimately became E911 for Marquette County. He was affectionately known to those who listened to their scanners as Radio Operator "Mac-Donnell" and "Mac" to his friends at the State Police Post.
After retiring, Dan focused on spending time with his family and friends where everyone he knew and everyone he met cherished his selfless nature, compassionate spirit and unfailing optimism. He often simply encouraged people to "Enjoy whatever you're going to be doing!"
He was loved by many and faithfully remembered his friends' birthdays and anniversaries. Dan would send greeting cards cheerfully decorated with stickers and heartwarming sentiments that never went unappreciated. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, loyally supporting his team every week.
He enjoyed many card, dice, and board games, but mostly enjoyed playing Scrabble, ("What's the name of the game?") Yahtzee!, Chicken, and Quiddler. He also got a great deal of satisfaction from sitting in his comfortable chair and watching favorite TV shows; NCIS, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, WWE Wrestling, and classics like: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murder She Wrote and Hawaii Five-O.
Along the way, Dan garnered the endearing moniker: "PapaYooper". He enjoyed his many trips to Minnesota, Texas, and Grand Rapids to spend time visiting his children and grandchildren, and making new friends along the way. He moved to Wyoming, MI. in the fall of 2008 to be closer to family, but never lost touch with his Marquette ties.
Dan is survived, and will be sadly missed but fondly remembered, by his sons; Gregory McDonnell of Harvey and Joseph McDonnell of Ypsilanti, MI., and daughters; Lea (James) DeMaagd of Wyoming MI and Ellen Sue McDonnell of Bloomington MN; two grandsons, Nicholas and Zachary DeMaagd, both of Wyoming, MI.; his brother James (Shirley) McDonnell of Honey Brook, PA.; many wonderful nieces and nephews and special close friends; George "Pete" Rose, Mary Grace Olson, Mary Hanson, David Hanson, and Carol DeMaagd.
His beloved wife Betty, his parents, his sisters; Trudy and Marian, and his brother Jackie, all preceded Dan in death.
The family will greet friends and relatives on Monday from 4PM until 7PM at the Fassbender Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter's Cathedral on Tuesday at 10 AM with Rev. Michael J. Steber officiating. Interment will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette. In lieu of flowers, friends may offer Mass cards on behalf of Dan and Betty McDonnell.
The Fassbender Funeral Home is serving the family where condolences may be expressed online at: www.fassbenderfuneralhome.com
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