William "Bill" Donovan, 81, of Rochester, MN passed away peacefully with family on October 31 ^st , 2020 of natural causes.

Bill was born on September 15 ^th , 1939 in Rochester, MN to Leigh and Anne (Maschler) Donovan. He graduated from Lourdes High School Class of 1957. Bill joined the Army in 1962, where he was stationed in Germany and was discharged with good conduct and marksmanship in 1964.

He worked at the Mayo Clinic from 1965 – 2001, where he met his wife, Janis Wichmann. Bill and Janis were married on October 3, 1970 in Tracy, MN. Together with his wife they established Shamrock Hills Stable in 1972 and enjoyed trail riding with family and lifelong friends. Bill was a lover of books, music, photography, cars and fishing. His greatest love was spending time with family and grandchildren in addition to hosting and attending the many Donovan family gatherings.

Bill is survived by his wife, Janis; two sons, Greg (Mindy) of Fargo, ND and Richard (Erin) of Grant, MN; six grandchildren, Maren (18), Aeryn (16), Will (11), Harrison (5), Adeline (4), and Rey Anne (3); four siblings, Kathleen Hunter of Mendocino, CA, Gary (Ronice) of Rochester, MN, Lauren Donovan of Rochester, MN and Maureen (Paul) Kuehn of Rochester, MN; three nieces; and three nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

A Memorial Mass for William will be held at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, November 7, 2020 at Resurrection Catholic Church with Rev. Peter Schuster officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at church. The church will be live streaming the service at 12:00 p.m.  The link can be found on their website main page and will be viewable for two to three hours following the conclusion of the service. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery.

Memorials are welcome to a charity of the donor's choosing.