Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Donovan, Frank M. 1957 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net October 29, 2018, 7:21 am Belding Banner-News, 7 Jun 1957 Tragic Death Of Attorney Stuns Town News of the tragic death of City Attorney Frank M. Donovan stunned this community Tuesday following the finding of his body in the garage of the family residence on S. Bridge street. Donovan, who had been Belding’s city attorney for the past 12 years, had been in ill health for the past two years following a severe stroke which had confined him to his home for several months. Since this first illness, Donovan suffered several lesser attacks the last of which was two weeks ago. Coroner Dale Kauffman, of Ionia, who investigated the incident, with Sheriff Ben Neve and Chief of Police William Crystler, stated that Donovan’s despondency or his failing condition had caused him to take his life with an army-type .45 revolver while his wife, Avis, was at the high school office where she is employed as secretary. Mrs. Donovan had talked with the city attorney at 11 o’clock but could get no answer when she called at noon. Mrs. Donovan then called her sister-in-law, Mrs. John Donovan, who was with her when the tragedy was discovered. Donovan lived an exceptional and useful life both before and after his admittance to the practice of law in 1934. He was born in this community November 3, 1892, and received his education in the schools here and Ferris institute at Big Rapids. After his graduation from Ferris he was successful in a variety of business ventures which included operation of a Ford agency here, the old Post elevator and the liquidation of the Orleans Savings Bank. While liquidating the Orleans bank, Donovan became interested in the study of law and became a student of Judge Leland Carr of Lansing. For several years he made thrice-weekly trips to Lansing to attend the judge’s classes which were of three to four hour duration. His examination marks when he passed the bar exam at Lansing were the highest ever received by a student of this type. Donovan is survived by his wife Avis; one son, Richard, a senior at Central Michigan College of Education; a daughter, Dianne, also at Central Michigan, and his brother, Lawrence, of this city. Funeral rites will be conducted under the auspices of the Masonic lodge on Friday at 2:30 from the Fales-Huffman chapel with burial in River Ridge cemetery. Rev. H.S. Ellis will officiate at the chapel. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/d/donovan8526gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 2.9 Kb