Steven Donahue

Stonington— If they were to list those who cared most about the town of Stonington, friends and colleagues of Steven Donahue say they'd be hard-pressed to rank anyone above the man who died Sunday after a yearlong battle with cancer.

Mr. Donahue was 48.

Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he was the longtime chief of the Pawcatuck Fire Department and, like his father, chaired the Board of Finance. He was instrumental in getting the new police station built and the fire department expanded and modernized. He made sure his firefighters cared for the veterans' memorials in Pawcatuck.

And while he may have been a town official and was skilled at the art of compromise, he was not a politician. He was known for his straight talk. Friends, colleagues and relatives say they always knew where he stood on an issue.

They say that the only thing he cared more about than the town — and especially the village of Pawcatuck — was his wife, Mary Lynne, and his four children, ages 18, 16, 11 and 7.

“I've never met anyone who had such a strong passion for this community and his family,” former First Selectman Donald Maranell said Monday. “He was strong-willed when he wanted to do something, but he never tried to shove it down your throat. He'd give you his opinion and say, 'Do what you think is right.' Nine times out of 10 I ended up agreeing with him.”

First Assistant Fire Chief Tom Long and second assistant Kevin Burns said Mr. Donahue was an extremely loyal person who was always concerned about his family and his town.

“The village of Pawcatuck was closest to his heart,” Long said.

Burns said Mr. Donahue always made sure his firefighters had the equipment and training they needed to do the job and be safe. He said Mr. Donahue ran the department like a business.

“He always knew the numbers right off the top of his head,” Long said.

Former Westerly Sun reporter Jeff Mill, who now works at the Middletown Press, said that in the late 1980s when he used to go to the firehouse to talk to Mr. Donahue's father, Jack, about the town budget, Steven would often be there poring over the numbers with his father.

“He was quietly absorbing this stuff. You could see he was slowly getting into it,” Mill said.

Mr. Donahue joined the fire department after he graduated from Central Connecticut State College in 1982. He had served as chief since 1996. His father served as chief from 1977 to 1990.

Mr. Donahue ran unsuccessfully for state representative and served nine years on the finance board, finally stepping down so he could spend more time with his family. He chaired the board for three years and was a staunch supporter of funding for the school system.

Mr. Donahue's loyalty also extended to his four dogs and the sports teams he followed. He loved the Boston Red Sox and never missed watching a New England Patriots game. He also ran a home restoration and contracting business with his brother David.

On Monday afternoon, Mary Lynne Donahue sat on the back deck of their home and talked about her husband.

“He loved Pawcatuck. It was like pulling teeth just to get him to go to a restaurant in Mystic,” she said. “As a third generation native he was just so into this town.”

She said that people who did not know her husband might find him a little gruff at first. But he also had a quick smile and a dry sense of humor.

“But he'd do anything for anybody. If somebody needed something he'd help them,” she said. Serving the town was his way of helping people.

First Selectman Bill Brown ordered the town's flags flown at half-staff in Mr. Donahue's honor.

“Steven was a wonderful family man, husband and father, and he was also an outstanding public servant, as was the tradition in the Donahue family for many years,” he said. “The Pawcatuck fire department has lost an outstanding chief who will be difficult to replace.”

Police Chief David Erskine knew Mr. Donahue ever since Jack Donahue, who was the town prosecutor at the time, brought his young son to the police station. Many years later, Erskine said, it was Mr. Donahue who was instrumental in helping him get residents to approve construction of the new police station.

“Sometimes we didn't see eye to eye, but we always worked things out. He always had the town at heart,” Erskine said.

Glenn Frishman, who served on the finance board with Mr. Donahue and succeeded him as chairman, became good friends with Mr. Donahue and his family. While Mr. Donahue was a Democrat and Frishman a Republican, Frishman said politics never entered into Mr. Donahue's decisions.

“For Steve, it was always what was right for the town,” Frishman said. “This is a real loss for me and the town. It's really sad.”

Calling hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Gaffney Dolan funeral home in Westerly, followed by a funeral at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Michael's Church in Pawcatuck.

Stonington