Thomas Donahue

Thomas “Tom” Terrence Donahue passed away on Christmas Day (Wednesday December 25, 2019) in Emmett, Idaho. He was 68 years old. Tom was born in Pocatello, ID on July 4, 1951 to Dennie “Buddy” H. and Donna Donahue. He was the second oldest of nine brothers and sisters and grew up in the ranching community of Mackay, Idaho. He attended elementary school in Mackay and attended Mackay High School through his Junior year. He was an excellent student and excelled at sports, earning his athletic school “letter” in basketball and track. Tom moved to King Hill, ID in 1968 with his parents and family when his father, Buddy Donahue took a job as the cattle foreman for the Pitchfork Ranch under the ownership of Mary Knox. Tom attended his last year of high school in Glenns Ferry, ID where he once again competed in athletics and graduated in 1969. His academic achievements earned him an academic scholarship to Boise State University. Tom spent the next four summers as a firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management in the Shoshone, ID area while attending undergraduate school in Boise, ID. Tom graduated from Boise State University in 1973 with an Associate of Science degree in Criminology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. Tom went to work for the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office (CCS0) in October 1973 as a patrol officer. In December of that year, he graduated from the Idaho Peace Officers and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) Session 19 at Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID. He achieved the highest score ever attained in the final exam at the Academy up to that point, receiving a score of 98 out of a possible 100. He received a certificate for outstanding achievement for graduating academically first in his class. He served in both the patrol and criminal investigations divisions for CCSO and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in September 1975. In February 1976 he left CCSO and went to work for the Boise Police Department for higher wages. He left the Boise Police Department in good standing in May 1976 to embark on a two-year sabbatical with his best friend and childhood schoolmate, Steve Rukavina. Tom and Steve spent two years traveling the United States and working along the way. Tom was employed as a Wildlands Firefighter for two summers in the Flagstaff, AZ area and returned to the Treasure Valley in the fall of 1978. Tom was hired by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office October 1, 1978 and served in several capacities including patrol officer, Sergeant, Detective and graduated from the Backster School of Lie Detection in July 1983 as a Polygraph Examiner. He served in this capacity with the ACSO until he left the agency in December 1996. Tom rejoined the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office in 2000 as a full time Polygraph Examiner and served under Sheriff George Nourse, Sheriff Chris Smith and Tom’s brother Sheriff Kieran Donahue before his retirement in July 2017. Under Sheriff Smith’s tenure Tom was once again promoted to Sergeant and served as the Chief Polygraph Examiner and oversaw the Personnel Department within the Sheriff’s Office until his retirement. During his law enforcement career and time as a Polygraph Examiner, Tom conducted over 4,000 polygraph exams with accompanied reports. Tom paved the way for several family members into the law enforcement career including his brother Kelly Donahue who served 28 years with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Peggy (Donahue) Hurless who served as a Dispatcher for Ada County in the 1980’s; and Kieran Donahue who served as a Federal Game Warden in Alaska before being hired by the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office in 2004 and is currently in his second term as the elected Sheriff of Canyon County. In 1981 Tom married Linda Murray of Boise, ID. Together they had one son, Eric Donahue. Although, he and Linda grew apart and later divorced (1987), his bond with his son stayed extremely strong. At the age of 22 and after serving a Christian Mission in the Philippines with his wife Linsey, Eric advised his dad that he wanted to become a medical doctor. Tom in his usual kind and supportive demeanor did not hesitate in encouraging his son to further his education. Tom committed to helping support Eric and his wife Linsey throughout Eric’s undergraduate studies at Boise State University and during his studies at the University of Washington Medical School. One of Tom’s proudest moments was attending his son Eric’s graduation from Medical School in 2017. Eric went on to become a Family Physician and trained near his dad in Caldwell, ID. Tom remarried in 1998 to “Laura”. Laura was Polynesian and grew up in Hawaii. The two shared the love of the Polynesian culture and visited Hawaii on many occasions. Although they divorced in 2000, Tom always had a special place in his heart for Laura and they remained friends for many years. Tom was always dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and one of his favorite past times was to read. He was a great storyteller and had a great sense of humor as well. He studied martial arts and was fluent in Spanish, both of which he often used in his law enforcement career. Tom was devoted to his family and spent as much time as possible with his mother and father at their ranch house in Mackay, ID. Following his mother’s death, Tom spent most of his time off with his older brother Dennie and their father at the ranch. Following the death of his brother Dennie, Tom would travel to Mackay and visit with his father and talk about old times or just sitting quietly which gave great comfort to his father. Growing up Tom was adamant about protecting his younger brother and sisters. He was always supportive and giving to make certain those around him had what they needed. Tom kept his love for his family through his final days, often taking phone calls and visiting with his brothers and sisters. He passed away peacefully on Christmas morning surrounded by Eric, Linsey and his three grandchildren. Tom is preceded in death by his parents Dennie H. “Buddy” (who died in 2015) and Donna (Wessman) Donahue (who died in 2006), his brother(s) Robert “Bobby” Donahue (who died in 1957) and Dennie E. Donahue (who died in 2012). He is survived by his son Dr. Eric (Linsey) Donahue, and his sister(s) Ellen (Randy) Corgatelli and Peggy (Greg) Hurless and his brothers, Kelly (Casey) Donahue, Kevin (Dana) Donahue, Sheriff Kieran (Jeanie) Donahue and Tim Donahue. He is also survived by 3 grandchildren.