John "Jack" F. Donovan

OXFORD – John “Jack” F. Donovan, 67, formerly of Oxford, died peacefully, surrounded lovingly by his family, on Friday, July 26, 2024, at his brother Steve’s home, after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his brother, Stephen B. Donovan and his wife Kara of Charlton; two nephews and one niece, Colin, Evan, and Kaelyn Donovan of Charlton; his uncle, Brian Gould and his wife Eileen; and many, many cousins. Mr. Donovan was born in Worcester, the son of the late Brendan and Barbara (Gould) Donovan and lived in Oxford for more than 40 years before moving to Southbridge.

Mr. Donovan graduated from Oxford High School and was a licensed water operator at WhiteWater, Inc. in Charlton for 20 years. He worked to provide safe drinking water to users of drinking water systems in central Massachusetts, the MA State Park system and to water systems throughout New England. Generations of people were positively impacted by his dedication to ensuring the safety and purity of the water systems he operated. Previously, he was employed at Webster Spring Co./Leggett and Platt for over 20 years. Throughout the summer he loved spending time at his summer home in Hampton, NH. He enjoyed playing golf, was a Boston sports fan, and loved spending time with his friends and family.

Mr. Donovan would especially like to thank his nephews Colin and Evan, and niece Kaelyn. Their constant and never-ending love and attention were deeply appreciated. The family would also like to thank the angels at the UMass Memorial Medical Center Cancer Clinic at Marlborough Hospital, especially Angela, Pam, Heather, Mary-Beth and Estrella; staff of Salmon VNA and Hospice, especially Lily, Lisa and Jason; as well as Heather and Crystal from VNA Care for the exceptional care, attention and service they all provided to Jack during his illness.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 9, 2024, at Paradis-Givner Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford. Memorial calling hours will be held from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home prior to the service. Burial will follow at St. Roch’s Cemetery in Oxford.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Jack to the Dudley-Charlton Education Foundation, P.O. Box 92, Dudley, MA 01571.