Joe H. Donohue

Joe Hiram Donohue
1930 - 2018
Joe H. Donohue, age 88 of Fredonia passed away on Sunday, December 30, 2018.
Born Sept. 7, 1930 to Lloyd and May (Parsons) Donohue, Joe was educated in the one-room school at Farmdale, and graduated from Fredonia High School.
Joe was a farmer-stockman whose family settled in Wilson County in 1867. He took great pride in serving as a steward of the land they handed down to him.
On November 29, 1958, he was united in marriage with Helen (Pryor). They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
He and Helen were honored by the Wilson County Conservation District with the Bankers Award for soil and water management, and most recently received a Grassland Conservation award.
He was a Past Master of Benedict Lodge #403 AF&AM, and member in good standing for 64 years. He was a long-time member and volunteer for the Wilson County Fair Association, serving as Rodeo Chairman and as President. He served on the board for Farmington Cemetery. He was a member of the Anti-Horse Thief Association and worked to prevent the demolition of their meeting house at Farmdale.
He was a founding member of the Wilson County Rural Fire District, maintaining Rural Fire Unit #2 for many years. He was a member of the Kansas Livestock Association and raised quality Angus-cross cattle. In addition, he was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association and at one time raised several colts utilized to work cattle. He could pick out specific traits and knew how to spot a problem with a horse as it walked away from him in person or on TV.
Joe was well known as a local historian, who earned the nickname “The Walking Encyclopedia.” He could point out historic points all around Wilson County and knew family and business connections going back several generations. He was known for his keen sense of humor and excelled at drinking coffee.
Survivors include his wife Helen of the home and his son Daryl (and his wife Jody) of rural Fredonia. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Lee.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Wilson County Rural Fire District in lieu of flowers or other considerations. They may be left or mailed to Wickham Family Funeral Home, 510 North 7th, Fredonia, Kansas 66736.
A private family service will be held at a later date.