Alvin J. Donius

Alvin J. Donius passed on September 13, 2026, at the age of 94 in Hingham, Massachusetts. Al was born in Buffalo, NY, the eldest of three sons of Alvin E. Donius, a CPA and attorney, and Sara Grace Donius (Donogher), a homemaker. Al was an exceptional student and athlete at Canisius High School in Buffalo, class of 1950, where he was an All-Catholic Conference running back and defensive back on the football team, the captain and number one golfer on the golf team, and the top debater on the debate team. He earned a scholarship to MIT, but raised in a devout Catholic family, Al chose to attend the University of Notre Dame.

At Notre Dame, Al earned a degree in Chemical Engineering, graduating cum laude in 1954. From there Al went to Harvard Business School from which he graduated in 1956. At Harvard Al met Paula M. O’Neil who was in her senior year at Radcliffe. They were married in September 1956 and had four children together, Laura, Christopher, John and Kevin. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1973.

Throughout his career, Al specialized in market research and strategic planning for several corporations including Otis Elevator and United Technologies where he was the Corporate Director of Strategic Planning, and Turner Corporation where he served as Corporate Director of Business Development and Planning.

In 1981, Al married Patricia Maxwell (Doyle), known as Penny. Penny and Al lived for many years in Farmington, CT with Penny’s children from a previous marriage, Warren and Linda Maxwell, before moving to Greenwich Village in New York City where they lived together until divorcing in 1997.

Al loved living in New York City where he was an avid devotee of off-Broadway theaters, film houses, museums, lectures at the Harvard Club, and courses at the Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP). A lifelong learner, Al took three courses every semester at the IRP during nearly 30 years of retirement and was looking forward to a new semester when he passed. When not doing class work or traveling, Al spent many hours in Washington Square Park reading his beloved New York Times from cover to cover. A patron of the arts, he served on the Board of Directors of the Hartford Ballet and CSC Theater Company in New York City. Al also served for many years on the Parish Council for St. Joseph’s church in Greenwich Village.

Al’s love of world travel brought him to China, India, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Africa, Morrocco, Costa Rica, Russia, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland, among other destinations

He is survived by his former wives, Paula Donius of Duxbury, MA, and Penny Donius of New York City; his two brothers, Donald Donius, MD of Buffalo, NY and James Donius of Scarborough, NY; his four children, Laura of Duxbury, MA, Christopher of Lowell, MA, John of Plymouth, MA and Kevin of Hingham, MA; and four grandchildren, Margaret (Maggie) of Quincy, MA, John (Jack) of South Boston, MA, Michael of Durham, NC and Caitlin of Hingham, MA.

A private service will be held on September 25, 2026, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Hingham, MA followed by internment at Hingham’s Glastonbury Abbey. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Al’s memory to Canisius High School.