More detail on this person: "Jay" James Avery Donoghue, Jr., cherished husband and loving father, slipped the surly bonds of earth and earned his second set of wings on July 31, surrounded by family. He waged a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer, undergoing five surgeries to extend his time with those he loved. He was a respected Washington-based aviation journalist, writing first for Aviation Daily in the `70's, then as Editor in Chief of Air Transport World, and finally, as Director of Publications for the Flight Safety Foundation. Valued as a friend by countless in the industry and a mentor to many, he will be remembered for his wit, good nature, and willingness to share his expertise. His writing and photography covered both business and technical aspects of commercial aviation, earning him the Aviation/Space Writers Association's Lauren D. Lyman Award, the Aerospace Writers/American Airline Public Relations Association's Eugene Dubois Award, the European Regions Airline Association Hank McGonagle Award for Excellence in Aerospace Journalism, the Royal Aeronautical Society's Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award, and the Aero-Club de France Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award. His passions included flying his Pilatus glider (a record 4:08 hour flight in 2007!), aviation photography, lavish banquets with open bars at industry events, crispy calamari, surfing, scuba-diving, sharing war stories with Army buddies and hangar stories with pilots of all stripes at the Atlantic Soaring Club, weekends at our condo a stone's throw from the Susquehanna, watching hot air balloons land in the rolling fields around our retirement home on Maple Grove Farm, the Washington Redskins, and last but not least, baseball, especially watching his boys as adolescent superstars, and more recently, enjoying the rise of the Washington Nationals. He was born in Boston in 1947 to James Avery Donoghue, Sr. and Doris Gorsuch Donoghue, spending most of his childhood in the Washington suburbs. Prior to graduation from Montgomery Blair High School, he enlisted in the Army. He served with distinction as a Chief Warrant Officer with the 4th Aviation Battalion during the Vietnam conflict, flying both Huey troop carriers and gunships, and earning a Purple Heart. He then served stateside as a medivac pilot at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. Following his military service, he earned an Associates Degree in Aviation Technology at the Florida Institute of Technology and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Maryland, College Park. During his college years, he worked as a fixed wing instructor at nearby Freeway Airport. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Joan Davis Donoghue, and his twin sons Ryan Donoghue (Ryan Avery Donoghue) and KJ Donoghue (Kelly James Donoghue), three siblings; Susan Donoghue-Rick and her husband James of Harpers Ferry, WV, Doris Donoghue, MD., of Aptos, CA, Lew Donoghue and his wife Diane, of Harrisonburg, VA, and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you contribute to any cause that brings you joy or comfort. Details are forthcoming of a burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by a joyous version of an Irish Wake as requested by Jay, in keeping with his dual US/Irish citizenship. Erin go Bragh! ---Joan
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery
This information was last updated 10/26/2018
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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