In Remembrance: Jack Attwood Donley ’52 Died on February 8 2024

Jack Attwood Donley, 92, passed away peacefully in his home in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Thursday, February 8, 2024.

Jack was born February 22,1931, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Earl and Helene (Fry) Donley. He graduated with a degree in engineering from Yale University, and then served in the US Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. While working as an engineer for Babcock & Wilcox in Alliance, Ohio, he met and married the love of his life and wife of 65 years, LoAnn Hoffman. They moved to Philadelphia, where Jack graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He created beautiful smiles as an orthodontist in both north and south Jersey for more than 30 years.

Jack’s detail-oriented, creative mind enabled him to complete many projects throughout his life, including fully restoring a 1957 Porsche Speedster, authentically renovating a nineteenth-century farmhouse, constructing a replica of a Colonial Virginia smokehouse, and building a wood strip kayak. He was the go-to guy for anything that needed to be designed, built, or fixed. He was generous with his time and knowledge with friends, family, and, especially, his granddaughters. He did all of this with a silly sense of humor and quick wit that kept everyone laughing.

He shared his love of bicycling and food with his family, often combining the two with rides to Jersey’s finest diners. The 70-mile annual bike ride to Ocean City, New Jersey, was a highlight for the whole family.

Jack was predeceased by his sister, Pat Hamman. He is survived by his loving wife, LoAnn; daughter Sarah (Willie), son Ross (Jennie), and daughter Lydia (Céline); granddaughters Jemma and Mila; niece Stacy Holahan; and many other beloved extended family members. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered as a kind and gentle man.

—Submitted by the family.