Joseph Patrick O'Donohoe
U.S. Veteran
Joseph Patrick “Joe” O’Donohoe, Lt. Cmdr., USN (Ret.), passed away on January 27, 2010, surrounded by family, after a lengthy illness, at home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. He was 81 years old. The youngest of three sons, he was born in the oilfields of North Texas in 1928, to James Gautier O’Donohoe and Wynnye Johnson. After the accidental death of his father, 7-year-old Joe and his older brothers, Jim and John, moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi. During the war years, the O’Donohoe boys worked as machinist’s helpers in the Ingalls shipyards to assist in the war effort, when not in school. They attended St. Stanislaus College preparatory school, where Joe, an “A” student, played football and basketball. He was quarterback and captain of the football team and class president all 4 years at St. Stanislaus. After graduation, he attended Southwestern University in Louisiana, where he met and married the love of his life, Elizabeth Lester Langhofer. They would spend the next 62 years together. They moved to Austin, Texas, where Mr. O’Donohoe earned a B.S. in Petroleum Geology from the University of Texas, working his way through college as a roughneck in the oilfields of South Texas and as a draftsman for the Texas Railroad Commission. After graduation, he was employed with Shell Oil in Wichita Falls, Texas, and Lane Wells Oil Well Service Company in Natchez, Mississippi, before obtaining his commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy, and earning his wings as a Naval Aviator. He flew the A4D Skyhawk, at the time the nation’s smallest atomic jet fighter plane. He served on board the U.S.S. Intrepid, the U.S.S. Shangri-La, the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was a “plankowner” (commissioning crew member) of the U.S.S. America. As a carrier pilot, he accomplished more than 400 “traps,” or carrier tailhook landings, making 4 tours of the Mediterranean. He declined an invitation to fly with the Blue Angels, as it would have taken more time away from his family. He became a flight instructor and taught at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Mississippi, including instruction of precision flying teams. Some 40 years later, Mr. O’Donohoe would return to Meridian to see his grandson Lt. J.G. Kyle Newell O’Donohoe, who had received his flight training there, pinned with his grandfather’s Navy wings, and receive “Granddad‘s” officer’s sword passed down from his own father, Mr. O‘Donohoe‘s elder son, Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Patrick O’Donohoe, II (Ret.). After leaving the Navy, Mr. O’Donohoe was employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, before retiring with Elizabeth to Bella Vista, a location chosen for its seven beautiful golf courses. “Mister O,” throughout his life an accomplished athlete, found his sport in golf. He played golf, he watched golf, he volunteered as Play Course Manager at Scottsdale Golf Course, and he ran the Flat-Irons Golfing group. These are the facts of Mr. O’Donohoe’s life. The truth of his life is that he was a gentleman and a gentle man. He was honorable and incapable of falsehood. He was not concerned with the world’s opinion of him, always being true to himself. He was admired by those who served or worked under him, who dubbed him “Mister O” and who always sought him out, knowing that he would truly listen and would deal fairly with them. He was quick of wit and laughed easily and often, especially when he and his brothers were together. He was movie-star handsome and cherished fine cigars. He loved children, and above all, was devoted to his family. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, son Pat and his wife, Pam, of San Diego, California; daughter Anne Lainhart and her husband, Rick, of Burbank, California; son Mike and his wife, Stefani, of El Dorado, Arkansas; grandson Brennan and his wife, Karen, of Springdale, Arkansas; grandson Lt. Kyle O’Donohoe, currently stationed in Japan; granddaughter Shannon Elizabeth; and great-grandson Patrick Michael “Paddy.” Mr. O’Donohoe is also survived by his brother John and his wife, Mary Lou, of Houston, Texas; and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Dorothy Langhofer, of Batesville, Mississippi. Mr. O’Donohoe was preceded in death by his older brother, James and his wife, Elene; his brother-in-law, William A. Langhofer; and, his grandson SPC Justin Lee O’Donohoe, U.S. Army. The family will receive friends from 3:00-6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3rd, at home in Bella Vista, followed by a private family Irish Wake for Mr. O’Donohoe. In accordance with his wishes, Mr. O’Donohoe will be buried at sea, with his ashes scattered both in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Mississippi near Pascagoula, and from the deck of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. In lieu of flowers,