- Date Of Birth: July 26, 1966
- Date Of Death: July 21, 2020
- State: Alabama
Joseph (Joe) Michael Donoghue, Director and Senior Crew Member of the Huntsville-Madison County Rescue Squad, Inc. (HMCRSI), passed away at age 53 on July 21, 2020. He was on duty returning from working a motor vehicle accident when he had a medical emergency. As he stated in his initial application to HMCRSI from 1986, “community involvement” was his calling. At that time, he had his basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and was in nursing school at John C. Calhoun Community College. He had service as part of his life early, earning Boy Scouts of America highest honor, the Eagle Scout award while attending Huntsville High School in the mid-1980s. His initial volunteering as an EMT was with the Urban Responder Program with Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. (HEMSI). Upon completing his Registered Nurse (RN) program, Joe started his nursing career at Crestwood Medical Center, working there for approximately 10 years. He then transitioned to Huntsville Hospital where he recently ended his 20 year nursing career to dedicate his life full time to the Squad. During his 30-year membership in the Squad, he quickly took on leadership responsibilities serving as Director for over 20 years. The Squad became his passion and his family. Due to his dedication to this community, Joe’s role extended to being a mentor, friend, and father figure to some and earned the respect of North Alabama’s emergency management systems.
Joseph Michael Donoghue is predeceased by his parents, Glen and Janet Donoghue of Huntsville. Mr. Donoghue is survived by his longtime companion, Kristina Tielking, his sisters, Shaun (Donoghue) Phillips and husband, Mark, Carolyn (Donoghue) Alkire and husband, Todd, and Christine (Donoghue) Dauwen and husband, Jon along with nieces and nephews, Michael, Patrick, Katherine, Brandon, William, Meghan, and Jesse, all of Madison, AL.
