Edward Ted Donelan
Passed 03/21/2020
/fit-in/200x300/filters:fill(white)/prod/183/111370/qm7dn50belrx2f1ovesy.jpg)
Obituary For Edward Ted Donelan
Edward (Ted) Donelan (81) of Dartmouth passed away peacefully Saturday March 21, 2020 with his wife, daughter and granddaughter by his side. He is survived by his wife Emily Donelan; son Edward (Ed) Donelan (Julie Ward) ; daughter Louisa Donelan and grandchildren Haley, Ian, Claire and Lenora and brother Pat Donelan (Pam Donelan).
Born in New Glasgow, Ted had a deep bond with family and friends from there and always considered it home. Here he developed his many artistic talents where he started by singing his neighbourhood friends to sleep through the open window. Beginning in his youth he starred in many Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. With his many years at the movies listening to Fred Astaire and watching the dance moves, he could do it all. He had a captivating stage presence and could soft shoe shuffle with elegance. A friend shared a story of hiding Ted behind the auditorium curtain to sing Elvis songs as their swing band played. The girls were all going wild, we heard. He continued his performances with Dr. Haley at the Acadia Drama dept to much acclaim at the time. He carried his love of music with him throughout his life sharing it with his family going to concerts, listening to records and treating us to his beautiful songs whenever they popped in his head.
He studied drawing and painting with an accomplished artist, his aunt Olive, who had taken many workshops with Alex Colville at Mount Allison. He was a perfectionist at whatever he did and threw his considerable energy and enthusiasm into the task at hand.
He greatly enjoyed visiting little art galleries over the years.
Ted was a teacher of economics, history, and law and department head for thirty five years at Prince Andrew High. He took great pride in his career and the fact he was able to touch so many lives through the years. He was an avid researcher of many diverse topics. He had a gift for the gab and could engage anyone on any topic, be it at school or at the grocery store. He loved to share what he had learned and discuss ideas. His daughter Louisa says her original search engine was called “Ask Ted” because you could ask him anything and amazingly he had the answer. If he didn’t he would get it quickly and with way more detail than you bargained for.
We live on through our children is never more true than with Ted in his love for his son Edward and daughter Louisa. He passed along countless skills and abilities and of course a love of music, higher education and of hockey. I should add humour, he had a sharp wit and eye for irony and the absurd. Both children observed and deliver.
He was a real character. His smile, the sparkle in his eyes, his wit, wisdom and kindness will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
More than anything he was a proud and loving dad and granddad; and devoted, loving husband. We will remember him as the bundle energy he was.
A celebration of life will take place at a later date.
Photos & Video
Add New Photos & Video
Condolences
-
08/27/2023
I'm so sorry for your loss. Mr Donelan was a great teacher one of my favorites he will be sorely missed by all who ever knew him ❤️
-
05/02/2021
Dear Emily I don't recall hearing of Ted's passing until today while FB chatting with Gloria. Please accept my deepest sympathy and love on your loss. Sending sympathy to Edward and Louisa as well. Take care and I hope you are enjoying good health. With Love Jane Upham (Ellsworth)
-
04/09/2020
The Donelan family would like to thank everyone who reached out to us. We loved reading the entries here at the Walker website. We deeply appreciated your condolescences and your memories of your time with Ted as a teacher, colleague, friend. Emails, phone callls, cards, facebook entries as well as the Walker website, were a comfort in these unprecedented times of social distancing. Thank you all so very much.
-
03/28/2020
Emily, Edward, Louisa and family. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time. Ted was such a kind and wonderful person. I have fond memories of the times we spent together as young couples and then as new parents. Love to all
-
03/25/2020
Ted was a great teacher, a wonderful man and a good friend. My condolences to his entire family.
-
03/25/2020
My deepest condolences to the family. I have great memories of taking his classes. Angela Day
-
03/25/2020
When I was entering grade 12 at PA in 1982 I needed an elective course to complete my schedule and my older brother convinced me to take Law 12 because the teacher who taught it made the course so interesting and fun. So i took the course because of what i heard about the teacher, not because of the subject. Almost 40 years later strong memories of Mr. Donelan are still with me....to me he was the consummate teacher: knowledgeable, demanding, hard working, kind, fair, always positive, and especially entertaining. Even now when I get together with old high school friends, his name always comes up and we share laughs at the many "performances" he gave at the front of the class - his stage. I learned more about tort laws and common laws than I even wanted to because of Mr. Donelan's teaching style and the plain fact he cared so much about his students - you knew to him it wasn't just a job. He positively impacted literally thousands of young people throughout his career and, in my opinion, there is no greater legacy of a life well-lived. His memory lives on in all those students fortunate enough to have had Mr. Donelan as their teacher. My deepest heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
-
03/25/2020
Dear Emily, Louisa, Edward and Family: Frank and I want to express our deep condolences on your loss of Ted. Ted was a kind and wonderful man who also was multi talented and multi layered. We were together in the Business Department from my days at Prince Andrew. He was a great colleague to work with as he was always positive and uplifting in his speaking. Students had great respect for his sense of humor and his love of learning. He was infectious in his sharing of great stories and love of his family. Ted is "A Man for All Seasons." Ted's love of the law and his humanity was a great example for all of us as members of the Prince Andrew Family. Rest In Peace. Ted. Colleen McNamara and Frank MacDonald xoxo
-
03/25/2020
I first met Ted in my first year of teaching at PA in 1975. He was so kind and welcoming to a beginner teacher. It was a privilege to work with Ted until his retirement. I always thought of him as a true friend. Seeing Ted and Emily at the retired PA teachers' luncheon last year was a highlight of the day. My deepest sympathy to Emily, Ed, Louisa, and his whole family.
-
03/25/2020
I worked with Ted at PA during my first 4 yrs teaching in the early 90's. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and anecdotal stories. My deepest condolences to you, Emily, Louisa and Edward. Your husband/father was a kind gentle man who loved his family more than anything else. You have great memories that will never be taking away. He taught me lots about teaching and people that I hold to this day.
-
03/25/2020
Ted was a true gentleman, scholar and respected colleague. We shared more than a few stories and laughs in my office at Prince Andrew over the years - often times at the expense of a co-worker whose antics he was trying to rationalize or at the very least comprehend. My deepest sympathies to Emily, Edward and Louisa. Take comfort in the fact that family was always number to Ted. - Dan Gillis
-
03/24/2020
Mr. Donelan was one of the best teachers I had during my years at Prince Andrew and inspired me to take additional economics courses during both my undergraduate degree and then my MBA. He had a disproportionately positive impact on the thousands of students privileged to be in his classroom and will be missed and remembered. I'm comforted to read that he had a happy retirement with family and friends.
-
03/24/2020
Mr Doelan wasn't just a teacher but a great influence in my life. I never missed an economics. I always enjoyed his true/ false with a multiple choice tests and exams. Thank you for all of us who you effected. Believing in students when some people had written them off. I have become a successful businessman and family man. Thank you
-
03/24/2020
Emily & family: I was very surprised to see Ted's obituary in this morning's paper. It seems such a short time ago when we saw both of you a Dartmouth Community Concert and he looked well. John is the same age - 81. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
-
03/24/2020
Roberta and I just read of Ted's passing this morning. Ted and his family were wonderful neighbours when our children were in their teen years. Military postings took us away from the neighbourhood too soon but our memories remain strong. Our condolences to Emily, Edward and Louisa and all your family. Malcolm Palmer
-
03/24/2020
I am so sorry to hear of Mr. Donelan's passing. As your next door neighbor, he was your dad and husband first, but was the "other" economics teacher to me. Something that I always thought neat was his impeccable penmanship; I once commented about it and was treated with some amazing wisdom that I follow to this day. 🙂 Clearly, this is shallow compared to the depth of this kind man you have the pleasure to call kin, but it was a simple little comment that had a profound effect; very typical of him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Kim Little (nee Palmer)
-
03/24/2020
I am so sorry to hear of Ted's passing. Ted was such a kind man whose dry wit and wonderful sense of humour made spending time with him such a pleasure. In my first year at PA we shared an off class and he went out of his way to make me feel welcome. Many great discussions had during those times! I was so lucky to have the opportunity to work with him and to hear all the stories about his wonderful family. Meeting Emily and Ted at the retired PA teachers' luncheons was the highlight of those events. In this time of deep sorrow may all the adventures you shared and the memories you made with him help sustain you through these difficult times.
-
03/24/2020
Mr. Donelan, as he was known to me, was my Law teacher at P.A. He was one of those unique educators who could reach and maintain the attention of even the most distracted students. His seriousness mixed with his inimitable levity enabled one to absorb even the driest of topics. He was truly an inspiration to me and my successes in a variety of positions that took me to three provinces with the RCMP. Thanks to Mr. Donelan I was torn between three paths, police officer, an educator, and a court prosecutor. I was fortunate to be able to work at all three. My sincere condolences to his family. - Mike Bezanson
-
03/24/2020
Mary and I met Ted at Acadia University and had the privilege of performing with him in the production of "Damn Yankees." Ted's sense of humour and talents made him a great devil and Mary enjoyed playing Lola opposite him. When we moved back to Wolfville Ted attended our open house and he remembered all the words to his big song. Whenever he was in the Wolfville area, he would drop by to renew acquaintances. We will miss him and we offer our sincerest sympathies to Emily, Ed. Louisa and his whole family.
-
03/24/2020
On behalf of myself, Sinead and the dancers and parents of the Greene School of Irish dance I wish to convey our deepest condolences to Louisa, Lenora and the Donelan Family. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
-
03/24/2020
Please know my thoughts are with you all at this sad, sad time. I talked with Ted at our last NGHS reunion and of course he gave me some good suggestions for reading material. I remember him and smile. Marcia Campbell Davey NGHS 56
-
03/24/2020
My deepest sympathy to Ted's family from one of his high school classmates at New Glasgow High. The comment in the funeral home obituary that describes him best: "He was a real character.....his smile, the sparkle in his eyes, his wit, wisdom and kindness" -- that's the Ted I knew. Though we used to run into each other occasionally in Dartmouth, the last time I saw him was our 60th class reunion in New Glasgow in 2016. His character and kindness had never changed..... It was a real shock to see his obituary in The Chronicle Herald today.........My thoughts are with you all.
-
03/24/2020
Shared memories of years in the NGHS Pipe Band and some of those operettas. My prayers are with you.
-
03/24/2020
I was very sorry to read of Ted's passing this morning. I worked with Ted for 19 years at Prince Andrew. The obituary says it all about him. The gift of gab was always there, especially at the Mic Mac Tavern on Fridays after work. As for his interest in hockey, I was reminded more than once that Ted and Bobby Hull were the same age. My last memories of Ted were seeing he and Emily walking the Sal Marsh Trail as I was doing my marathon training. Regards, Bruce Carr
Add a Candle or Spiritual Image
Click below to add to your message.
Useful Links
Add Your Useful Link
Contact Us to have your link and message added here.
Please fill out the form below. We will contact suitable submissions with further details.