Louis Richard Donnelly

Louis R. Donnelly passed peacefully in his sleep on April 13, 2012 at his home near Sacramento after a three-year battle with lung cancer. He was born to Richard and Rita Donnelly in Walla Walla, Wash. on June 20, 1955 and raised in Waitsburg and Walla Walla.

He contracted TB as an infant and spent his first birthday in Seattle Sanatorium.
He struggled with asthma all his life, requiring frequent hospitalizations in his youth. In 1961, his parents took him to Arizona Asthmatic Foundation in Tucson where he attended school, returning to Waitsburg 18 months later. He was repeatedly hospitalized and eventually started attending St. Patrick’ s grade school across the street from St Mary’s. He also lived with a foster family, The Pence’s, to be close to the medical care facility, but in a home environment.

He came home to live his sophomore year where eventually graduating from DeSales in 1973. He worked at Green Giant Cannery and at the same time received his AA from WWCC. In 1976, he moved to Tucson and received his Respiratory Therapist Degree and went to work for two hospitals. He later worked for Travel Corp, working respiratory for them in Boston, Saudi Arabia and other locations. When he wasn’t working, he used his time off to travel and visit family. After several years, he returned to Tucson to work and attended the University of Arizona. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1990, with his MIS degree and went to work for Hewlett Packard in the Bay Area and continued to RT at a local hospital.

In 1999, he transferred to the Sacramento area and continued to work for HP until he took an early retirement option in 2006. He spent a year doing what he loved, traveling and visiting his family. He returned to his roots of respiratory and took a full-time position as IT coordinator for the respiratory and rehab units for several Sutter Hospitals. Diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer in May 2009, he surpassed all odds even returning to work for several months before the cancer forced him to relinquish his position.

He was a lifelong learner and voracious reader, amassing an extensive library of over 3500 books. He followed sports, particularly the University of Arizona and DeSales. He was a kind, considerate and generous person with a sharp wit and great sense of humor.

He was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his mother, Rita, of Walla Walla; sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Sam Worth of Walla Walla; niece, Jena Worth of Walla Walla; nephew, Casey Worth of Billings, MT and several aunts, uncles, cousins and numerous good friends.

The Rosary will be Friday, April 20, 2012 at 6:00 PM at the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, WA. The Funeral Mass on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 1:00 P.M. at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Waitsburg. Interment will follow at the Waitsburg Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the DeSales Booster Club or Waitsburg Historical Society through the funeral home.