David Condon McDonough died Monday, April 11, 2016, surrounded by family in the home of the Azzaranos in Wayne, Pa. He was 83.
Born and raised in Vineyard Haven, the son of Marshall John and Florence Kathleen McDonough, Connie attended Tisbury High School, was a basketball star and president of his class. Upon the recommendation of his mother, he then went to Kents Hill School, a boarding prep school in Maine, and graduated in ’51. Following Kents Hill, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Maine Central Institute, where he continued to excel playing basketball for two years. He received a basketball scholarship to the University of Illinois, being the only engineering student on the team. The fit was not right, so Connie transferred to the University of Massachusetts, playing semipro in Holyoke his first year, waiting for his eligibility to clear.
Due to family tragedy, Connie chose to be drafted into the Army in 1955, and spent two years in Germany. Upon his return, he completed his basketball career at UMass and graduated in ’59 with a mechanical engineering degree. Following college, Condon joined the Marine Reserves, serving for eight years as a reconnaissance parachute jumper.
In time, Connie’s love of skydiving would lead him to work for Parachutes Incorporated in Lakewood, N.J., which would prove to be a life-changing move for him. As a parachute instructor, Connie developed marketing concepts and designed the P.I. school and facility. In the course of his work, he began training a beautiful young stewardess named Kay. They eloped and married just three short months later, on Jan. 7, 1964. Connie made over 800 jumps during his long skydiving career.
Condon and Kay decided on Manchester by the Sea as the ideal location to raise their family. At the time, they had one daughter, Kendra. He was hired by AVCO Everett Research Laboratory in 1967, and worked for AVCO/Textron until he retired in 2003. Connie considered his most important contribution to be his work in Washington, D.C., convincing the House, Senate Armed Services, Intelligence, and Appropriations Committees of the importance of national defense.
Other gifts included being a singer and songwriter for 50 years, studying WWII, airplanes, and, like his mother, “arguing as a form of entertainment.”
Condon was a man who believed in God’s creation and the inerrant words of the Bible. His faith in Jesus Christ his Savior blessed him with joy and confidence, especially towards the end of his life. Many people were touched by his bold testimony.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathryn Ellen McDonough; four children, Kendra, Camrin, David, and Kara; five grandchildren, Eliza, David, Jude, Luke, and Zachary; and younger sister Martha Mary Sullivan. He was predeceased by his brothers Marshall John McDonough Jr. and John Barry McDonough.