Daniel Warren Donohue, known as Warren, passed away peacefully on March 22, surrounded by his family and with his granddaughter singing to him. He is missed by Michaela, his wife of 57 years, along with his four children, nine grandchildren, four siblings, and other family and friends. The sadness is mixed with relief that his long bout with Lewy Body Dementia is finished.

Warren began his 83 years in Brookline, Massachusetts. The second of five children, he spent most of his early childhood in Atlanta before settling in Baltimore. There he excelled in theater and debate at Mount Saint Joseph’s High School. The Baltimore years included a stint working in a much loved record store, an experience that refined his musical taste and inspired a life-long appreciation for Frank Sinatra. Formative as it was, time in Baltimore never displaced loyalties to the Boston Red Sox, an error not passed on to his sons.

Following the footsteps of his brother Joe, Warren attended college at Johns Hopkins. He graduated with a degree in political science and then served for two years in the US Army Intelligence Corp in Washington DC. Law school at Georgetown University came next.

After 24 years practicing law, Warren got his call from the governor and began service as a Circuit Court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland. During his 13 years on the bench, he tried numerous civil and criminal cases. Blessed with the right temperament for the role, he was highly esteemed by his colleagues and ran his courtroom with dignity and compassion.

His mastery of the dictaphone was a sight to behold. Scarcely needing the rewind button, he dictated in full paragraphs with punctuation. Had he been of a different generation, one can scarcely imagine the heights he could have scaled with Siri or Alexa. But he was of his generation and never in fact took to the ATM. Some things, he thought, were best handled face to face.

DWD, as he was sometimes known, was mostly at ease in himself. He often replaced lunch with a game of squash and an ice cream cone (mint chip, cookies and cream). Naturally decent in racquet sports, he fearlessly tossed junk spins into the mix. He was a good singer, a good speaker, and a good advocate, all without seeming to strain.

In 2013, retired from the bench, he and Michaela moved from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Burlingame, California to be closer to two of their children and four of their grandchildren.

As a father, he was reliable and dependable, a fixture against which the vagaries of life could be offset. He embodied a distinctly American temperament--pragmatic and willing to use a putter from well off the green. His blend of decency, modesty, and humor made him much beloved.

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