James W. Donnelly

DONNELLY, James W. age 85 of Huber Heights, passed away Thursday December 24, 2015 at his residence following an illness. He was born September 12, 1930 in Northridge, son of the late James S. & Inez (Smith) Donnelly. James was a member of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church and was a graduate of Northridge High School Class of 1949. He was a retired schoolteacher from Dayton Public Schools with 30 years of service. He was an outstanding baseball player and was inducted into the Northridge Athletic Hall of Fame, the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame and the Dayton Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. From 1972-1975 he threw batting practice for the Cincinnati Reds. He also was an avid golfer who worked and played at Homestead Golf Course.

James is survived by his wife of 61 years Delores (Pohl) Donnelly; his children Christy Donnelly of Vandalia, Shelley & husband Paul Jones of London, OH, Jim & wife Sharon Donnelly of Pataskala, OH and Tammy Kumfer of Orient, OH; 3 sisters Mary Battigaglia, Josephine Serafield, and Florence Lowrey; 5 grandchildren MacKenzie See, Devan Jones, Haley Kumfer, Jillian Kumfer, Amanda Kumfer and a host of other relatives and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday December 29 at 10:00am at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Dayton. Burial will follow at Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Morton & Whetstone Funeral Home 139 S. Dixie Dr. Vandalia on Monday from 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of Dayton or to the University of Dayton Athletics: Mens Baseball c/o UD Athletic Department 300 College Park Drive Dayton, OH 45469 in Mr. Donnelly’s memory.