Dennie Hunter "Buddy" Donahue passed away peacefully at his ranch home in Mackay, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. He was 88 years old.
Buddy was born Jan. 17, 1927, at Barton Flat, north of Mackay, to Dennie and Ella Hunter Donahue. He was the third of four children, two older sisters, Betty and Mary Kathleen, and a younger brother, Terrence. In 1936, Buddy lived on a ranch on Barton Flat that his parents owned, near the present day state fish hatchery. At this time, Buddy was 9 years old, and for many years, he and the neighbor children rode their horses to and from home to attend school in the old brick and mortar Barton Flat School. He continued to attend the Barton Flat School until he graduated from the eighth grade. He then attended Mackay High School when he was able to get there, often times missing school due to workload at the ranch and weather and travel conditions. While in high school, he participated in extracurricular activities, including basketball and wrestling (the school did not have a football program in those days.)
In high school, Buddy met and dated a beautiful and independent young woman by the name of Donna Wessman. Donna had moved to Mackay from Ogden, Utah, when she was 15 years old. Her dad owned and operated the drug store in Mackay, and she worked for him for many years, including through high school. Buddy and Donna were married July 20, 1946, in the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were married for 60 years and had nine children.
After they were married, they continued to work alongside of Buddy's parents on a large cattle ranch they had acquired north of Mackay on the Big Lost River, and he and Donna lived in an old house on the ranch. Buddy and Donna later became partners with his family on the ranch. The ranch ran a cow-calf operation as well as several horses. The ranch had teams of horses to assist in the haying and feeding operations, and Buddy was a very skilled horseman.
During these years, Buddy was hired as the 'rider' for the Cattleman's Association in Copper Basin. A job he not only loved but was very good at as well. Buddy went on to become one of the areas experts on range management and grazing operations. Buddy was a member of the Cattleman's Association and rode for the association with his family, living in cow camps for many different years. Over these years, Buddy would go on to hold several executive positions in the association. He also served as cattle representative for the area on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Advisory Board of the Salmon District in the late 1950s to mid-1960s.
In the late 50s, Buddy and Donna bought the Lone Cedar Creek Ranch, where they ran cattle, horses and sheep. In the late 1960s, Buddy and Donna sold their ranch properties, and he spent a short time working for the White Knob Mines and driving ore trucks back and forth to the Red Bird Mine on the Salmon River.
In 1968, Buddy took a job as the cattle foreman for the Pitch Fork Ranch in King Hill, Idaho, near Glenns Ferry. Then in 1971, Buddy moved his family back to Mackay and worked for Anderson Ranches, which was later acquired by the San Felipe Ranches, owned by William Hewlett and David Packard. Buddy stayed on the ranches and held the position of cattle foreman for San Felipe Ranches for over 20 years. Buddy loved working cattle and one of his favorite times was going on the fall round-up in Copper Basin. He also enjoyed watching and caring for the weanling calves after they were taken off of their mothers each fall. He said he liked their playfulness as they matured into older cattle. He was a fine horseman and truly loved how God provided both the animals and the resources to those who chose his way of life. He liked irrigating and haying and said he liked to see things grow.
After retiring in 1994, he kept working on the San Felipe Ranch during calving season for several more years. He continued to ranch and run cattle on the property he and Donna bought from the Hewlett-Packard San Felipe Ranches when he retired, which ironically his parents once owned before his birth and is located just three miles from his birth place. Buddy passed away at this same location surrounded by members of his family.
He was an amazing man, and above all else, he was a family man. He loved his kids and taught them to love God and respect each other. He instilled upon his children the responsibility to stand up for what was right and to help protect those who could not protect themselves. Buddy was a cattleman and a true gentleman. He was always ready and willing to help his fellow ranchers and neighbors and seldom asked of others. He was a quiet man and not one easy to anger. However, he did have his limits, and you certainly knew when you had crossed the line. He was a devout Catholic and attended Sunday Mass nearly his entire life. He was gifted with the Irish sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories, laughing with friends and family and teasing his grandkids. He kept his sense of humor and his love of his family right through his last days.
Buddy was preceded in death by his wife, Donna (Wessman) Donahue; his parents, Dennie V. and Ella (Hunter) Donahue; his sisters, Mary Kathleen Donahue and Betty Donahue Whitworth; and his brother, Terrence Donahue.
He was also preceded in death by his sons, Robert "Bobby" Donahue who died in 1957, and Dennie Eugene Donahue in 2012, and a step-granddaughter, Delaney Tabbutt. He is survived by five sons, Tom Donahue, Kelly (Casey) Donahue, Kevin (Dana) Donahue, Kieran (Jeanie) Donahue and Tim Donahue; and two daughters, Ellen (Randy) Corgatelli and Peggy (Greg) Hurless. He is also survived by 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Services were held for Buddy with a rosary at Saint Barbara's Catholic Church in Mackay on Friday, Dec. 4, and a funeral Mass at Mackay High School Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 5, with Father Dat Vu officiating. In true cowboy tradition, he was laid to rest in the Mt. McCaleb Cemetery following a procession from the funeral service, that included several of his family and friends on horseback, leading a horse with the empty saddle down the main street of Mackay and out to the cemetery, followed by a horse drawn hearse carrying his casket. The pallbearers carried him from the hearse to the graveside under the shadow of the Big Lost River Mountains and placed him by the side of his loving wife.
Services were under the direction of the Hawker Funeral Home.
Dennie Hunter "Buddy" Donahue passed away peacefully at his ranch home in Mackay, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. He was 88 years old.
Buddy was born Jan. 17, 1927, at Barton Flat, north of Mackay, to Dennie and Ella Hunter Donahue. He was the third of four children, two older sisters, Betty and Mary Kathleen, and a younger brother, Terrence. In 1936, Buddy lived on a ranch on Barton Flat that his parents owned, near the present day state fish hatchery. At this time, Buddy was 9 years old, and for many years, he and the neighbor children rode their horses to and from home to attend school in the old brick and mortar Barton Flat School. He continued to attend the Barton Flat School until he graduated from the eighth grade. He then attended Mackay High School when he was able to get there, often times missing school due to workload at the ranch and weather and travel conditions. While in high school, he participated in extracurricular activities, including basketball and wrestling (the school did not have a football program in those days.)
In high school, Buddy met and dated a beautiful and independent young woman by the name of Donna Wessman. Donna had moved to Mackay from Ogden, Utah, when she was 15 years old. Her dad owned and operated the drug store in Mackay, and she worked for him for many years, including through high school. Buddy and Donna were married July 20, 1946, in the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were married for 60 years and had nine children.
After they were married, they continued to work alongside of Buddy's parents on a large cattle ranch they had acquired north of Mackay on the Big Lost River, and he and Donna lived in an old house on the ranch. Buddy and Donna later became partners with his family on the ranch. The ranch ran a cow-calf operation as well as several horses. The ranch had teams of horses to assist in the haying and feeding operations, and Buddy was a very skilled horseman.
During these years, Buddy was hired as the 'rider' for the Cattleman's Association in Copper Basin. A job he not only loved but was very good at as well. Buddy went on to become one of the areas experts on range management and grazing operations. Buddy was a member of the Cattleman's Association and rode for the association with his family, living in cow camps for many different years. Over these years, Buddy would go on to hold several executive positions in the association. He also served as cattle representative for the area on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Advisory Board of the Salmon District in the late 1950s to mid-1960s.
In the late 50s, Buddy and Donna bought the Lone Cedar Creek Ranch, where they ran cattle, horses and sheep. In the late 1960s, Buddy and Donna sold their ranch properties, and he spent a short time working for the White Knob Mines and driving ore trucks back and forth to the Red Bird Mine on the Salmon River.
In 1968, Buddy took a job as the cattle foreman for the Pitch Fork Ranch in King Hill, Idaho, near Glenns Ferry. Then in 1971, Buddy moved his family back to Mackay and worked for Anderson Ranches, which was later acquired by the San Felipe Ranches, owned by William Hewlett and David Packard. Buddy stayed on the ranches and held the position of cattle foreman for San Felipe Ranches for over 20 years. Buddy loved working cattle and one of his favorite times was going on the fall round-up in Copper Basin. He also enjoyed watching and caring for the weanling calves after they were taken off of their mothers each fall. He said he liked their playfulness as they matured into older cattle. He was a fine horseman and truly loved how God provided both the animals and the resources to those who chose his way of life. He liked irrigating and haying and said he liked to see things grow.
After retiring in 1994, he kept working on the San Felipe Ranch during calving season for several more years. He continued to ranch and run cattle on the property he and Donna bought from the Hewlett-Packard San Felipe Ranches when he retired, which ironically his parents once owned before his birth and is located just three miles from his birth place. Buddy passed away at this same location surrounded by members of his family.
He was an amazing man, and above all else, he was a family man. He loved his kids and taught them to love God and respect each other. He instilled upon his children the responsibility to stand up for what was right and to help protect those who could not protect themselves. Buddy was a cattleman and a true gentleman. He was always ready and willing to help his fellow ranchers and neighbors and seldom asked of others. He was a quiet man and not one easy to anger. However, he did have his limits, and you certainly knew when you had crossed the line. He was a devout Catholic and attended Sunday Mass nearly his entire life. He was gifted with the Irish sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories, laughing with friends and family and teasing his grandkids. He kept his sense of humor and his love of his family right through his last days.
Buddy was preceded in death by his wife, Donna (Wessman) Donahue; his parents, Dennie V. and Ella (Hunter) Donahue; his sisters, Mary Kathleen Donahue and Betty Donahue Whitworth; and his brother, Terrence Donahue.
He was also preceded in death by his sons, Robert "Bobby" Donahue who died in 1957, and Dennie Eugene Donahue in 2012, and a step-granddaughter, Delaney Tabbutt. He is survived by five sons, Tom Donahue, Kelly (Casey) Donahue, Kevin (Dana) Donahue, Kieran (Jeanie) Donahue and Tim Donahue; and two daughters, Ellen (Randy) Corgatelli and Peggy (Greg) Hurless. He is also survived by 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Services were held for Buddy with a rosary at Saint Barbara's Catholic Church in Mackay on Friday, Dec. 4, and a funeral Mass at Mackay High School Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 5, with Father Dat Vu officiating. In true cowboy tradition, he was laid to rest in the Mt. McCaleb Cemetery following a procession from the funeral service, that included several of his family and friends on horseback, leading a horse with the empty saddle down the main street of Mackay and out to the cemetery, followed by a horse drawn hearse carrying his casket. The pallbearers carried him from the hearse to the graveside under the shadow of the Big Lost River Mountains and placed him by the side of his loving wife.
Services were under the direction of the Hawker Funeral Home.
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