Grace Ellen Donovan

The family of Grace is sad to announce her passing on July 24, 2025. She passed away in home hospice care in the presence of her family. She was 80 years old and sadly missed her 81st birthday by one week. She is survived by her children, Bill Donovan and Sue (Tim) Gay as well as her grandchildren; Brandon and Britney Donovan and Becky and Brian Gay. She is predeceased by her husband, Al Donovan; her sister Judy Mueller; her brother Robert (Dori) Moore and her daughter in law, Donna Donovan.

Grace was born in Newburgh, New York to the late Charles and Ruth Moore. However, she spent most of her life in Upstate NY. Grace raised her family in Holley and retired in Spencerport with her husband of 60 years. She loved the neighborhood they retired in and especially the yard that she was able to fill with flowers and plants. For many years, the front of her house was blooming from the Spring season through the Fall. In her later years, this got harder to maintain, but she sure tried!

In her younger years, Grace loved horses. She could often be found riding her horse, Shenandoah, on the canal path near her childhood home in Spencerport. It was the love of horses that brought her into contact with her husband , Al. His family also had horses and romance bloomed from their shared interest. While in hospice care, she passed the time watching horse races on TV. It was amusing that she always picked the gray horse to win, they rarely did, but she loved the look of the grays.

When she retired from SUNY Brockport in 2000, she took to gardening full time. She changed the gardens that her mother had established, but continued to keep a rose garden, a love she shared with her mother. The rose varieties may have changed, but roses were ever present. She also cultivated several varieties of oriental lilies and daylilies. The back deck overlooks her gardens and she would spend time out there just gazing at them.