Thomas Joseph Donaghy Sr., 1929-2024

You can read Tom Donaghy’s eulogy by his daughter Kathleen here.

With heavy hearts and deep sadness we announce the passing of Thomas “Tom” Joseph Donaghy Sr. of Flagler Beach, Florida, who left us peacefully in his sleep on November 20, 2024. He lived a long eventful life filled with 95 years of experiences and was a loving Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and proud Veteran of the United States Army.

Tom began his life journey on October 6, 1929 in Philadelphia, Penn., as the son of the late Anna Marie (O’Dell) Donaghy and James Joseph Donaghy. Born just weeks before the beginning of the Great Depression, his early years laid the groundwork for a lifetime of grand goals that were accomplished through practical planning and fiscal frugality. When he met the love of his life, Irene “Renee” Fleming, and asked her parents for permission to marry, he told them that he would take their daughter to see the world, and he was true to his word.

They married in 1957 at St. Veronica’s Church in Philadelphia.

Tom had left school early and gone to work to help his parents. In 1947 he began his military service by entering the Pennsylvania National Guard, Battery C, 166th Field Artillery, as a Cannoneer. In January 1951, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and selected for the Army Security Agency. He also earned his GED, and after Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he attended Morse Code School. In August 1951 he was reassigned and sent to Korea via Japan.

Even though he had no medical training, he became a Medic for the 24th Infantry Division and was attached to the 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment. In March 1952, he transferred to the 2nd Infantry Division, 23rd Infantry Regiment as a Rifleman, and he ended his foreign service a few months later in May, then returned to the U.S. where he served at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania and the Army Chemical Center in Edgewood, Maryland.

His separation was at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, where he obtained an honorable discharge from the Army in January of 1954. Tom earned several medals and badges during his service: the Korean Service Medal w/3 Bronze Stars, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Combat Medic Badge, and the Combat Infantry Badge. Very few veterans hold both the Combat Medic and Combat Infantry Badge.

After leaving the Army, Tom began his career at Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) where he worked for over 30 years. From 1954 to 1963 he was a Substation Operator at several substations and transmission stations on Philadelphia Electric Systems. In 1963 he became a Reactor Operator at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 in Delta, Penn., and received his Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Reactor Operator License in 1966.

In 1968 he advanced and became a Chief Operator, and after the extensive on-site training and simulator training he received, in 1969 he earned his AEC Senior Reactor Operator License. Shortly after that he became a Shift Supervisor in 1970, where he supervised all normal operations and any unusual plant operations while monitoring and directing shift operations, and then he advanced again to Shift Superintendent of Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant Units II & III in 1974 until he retired from PECO in 1985.

Tom took on consulting work as a Shift Advisor at Clinton Nuclear Power Station in Clinton, Illinois; Hope Creek Generating Station in Salem County, New Jersey; and Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Alabama. In February 1988 he fully retired and move to his home in Flagler Beach with his devoted wife Renee, who survives him.

Tom was smart, funny, had a great memory, told interesting stories, and loved traveling, boating, and socializing, but his favorite activity was spending time with Renee. Their devotion to each other was apparent to all who knew them or just met them, and it was very uncommon to see one without the other; they were inseparable.

During their more than 67 years of marriage, they traveled the world, with very few places that they did not visit. Their favorites were Hawaii, Australia, and their ancestral home of Ireland. Boating was another past-time they both enjoyed with their family, beginning in the 1970s on the Bodkin River and the Chesapeake Bay, and continuing when they relocated to Florida.

Tom was a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus; a member of the American Nuclear Society; a member of the VFW and former Commander of VFW Post 2385; a member of the American Legion Post 120 and the 24th Infantry Division Association; a Founding Member and former Board of Director of the Flagler Beach Yacht Club; former officer of Facawee Boat Club and Bodkin Yacht Club; former member of Crescent Yacht Club; and former Governing Board member of the Flagler Auditorium.

Tom is survived by four children, Thomas Donaghy Jr. of Flagler Beach, FL; Kathleen Donaghy of Palm Coast, FL; Sharon Kochenour of Palm Coast, FL; and Michael Donaghy with his wife Cinda of York, PA. He is also survived by 7 grandchildren: Justin (Katelynn), Tiffany, Caitlin, Brendan (Marissa), Dylan (Danette), Daniel, and Devin (Edgar); 3 great-grandchildren: Riley, Reef, and Finnegan; his sister Joanne, sister-in-law Carmella (Richard), as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Tom was pre-deceased by his parents Anna and James, brothers John (Doris), James (Helen), William, Richard (Carmella), and sisters Regina (Richard) and Marie (Floyd). He will be forever missed.

A Mass will be held Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 10 AM at Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church, 915 N. Central Ave, Flagler Beach. Following that, Tom will be laid to rest at 12:30 PM with full military honors at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, 5525 U.S. Highway 1, Mims, FL 32754.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend both events, as well as an Irish celebration of his life on Friday, December 6, 2024 from 1 PM to 5 PM at the Flagler Woman’s Club, 1524 S. Central Ave, Flagler Beach, FL 32136.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) at DAV.org/ways-to-give/ or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at StJude.org/give. Funeral arrangements are by Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home (DignityMemorial.com). Please visit Veterans Legacy Memorial for additional information about Tom’s wonderful life.