John James Donoghue

John James Donoghue, 62, passed away unexpectedly on September 21, 2026. John was born to parents Terence John Donoghue and Doris Frances Simpson on Long Island, New York, on February 13, 1964.

John grew up in and around Babylon Village in Suffolk County on Long Island. Back then, life centered around the Babylon Fire Department - washing and waxing the fire equipment for the parades, and taking part in the carnivals on Saturdays. Many weekends were spent at Cedar Beach on the Atlantic Ocean and on weekdays, he rode his bike to the village pool or played kickball and baseball in the street on Locust Avenue.

In the late 1970s, he joined First Presbyterian Church, singing in the choir and taking part in the youth group.

It was there that John met the love of his life, Candace Hearn, when they were teenagers. He later married her and created a family that he treasured. During his wife’s first pregnancy, he survived a brain aneurysm against all odds and went on to raise 3 kids, became Uncle John to many nieces and nephews, and Pop to 5 granddaughters.

John lived a life of service. He began by serving his community as an EMT in the volunteer ambulance corps, then became a paramedic for New York City. When he moved to Georgia, he became a paramedic/firefighter for Dekalb County. He retired as Fire Captain after 30 years of public service. A hometown hero.

When he wasn’t saving lives and putting out fires, he and his wife were actively involved in their church. They led Vacation Bible School and other youth programs for 10+ years. John believed it was his imperative to be the hands and feet of Jesus and would go to great lengths to help anyone in need. If you ever needed anything, John was already on his way.

John was a lifelong learner and tinkerer who could figure out anything; from cars to home projects to math problems and more. He enjoyed woodworking, working on cars, and building his wife whatever she wanted.

John and Candy instilled a love of nature in their children through many camping adventures and time on the water in his beloved blue speedboat. In retirement, John got to upgrade his tent camping to a travel trailer, and his speedboat to a cruise ship.

He also loved a good pun, the color pink, a wide variety of music (from Jethro Tull to Taylor Swift to Barry Manilow), waterskiing, Chick-Fil-A, professional cycling, singing (well), and dancing (poorly).

John was preceded in death by his parents Terence and Doris, his aunt, Grand Mary, and his grandmother, Nanny.

John is survived by his wife of 40 years, Candace “Candy” Donoghue; his children – Courtney Caamaño (Eddie), Zach Donoghue (Brittany), and Colleen Bowling (Tyler); his grandchildren – Victoria, Leonora, Marcela, Sadie, and Adeline; his siblings – Terry Donoghue (Janet) and Chris Donoghue (Beth); his brothers-in-law – Scott Hearn (Terry) and Dean Hearn; his sister “outlaw”/his children’s godmother, Cindy Khan (Steven); his nieces and nephews – Eve, Eric, Gregory, Leah, Dana, Amber, Joshua, and Nicolas; and his dog, Baby.

We are grateful for the time we had with him, but it will never be enough.

Please come join us in celebrating John's life on October 17, 2026, between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, at Wellesley at Town Lake Community Center at 1001 Wellesley Crest Drive in Woodstock, GA.  Bring your memories and stories to share with John's family and friends.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.westcobbfuneralhome.com