Remembering John Donovan, a Southcote man, after his death. A friend shares memories.
John had lived in Reading his whole life.
Steve said John’s family is heartbroken.
Steve met John in the eighties, and they became good friends quickly.
They trained at Steve’s dad’s karate club and vacationed together a lot.
Steve even lived with John after his divorce.
Steve said John was a great, popular friend.
John died after a fight near Reading station and ended up in the hospital.
Ryan Basden, 27, was found not guilty of manslaughter of John Donovan.
The trial happened at Reading Crown Court.
The incident occurred last year on July 20; police got reports of a fight at 8:40 pm.
John was punched and fell backward, hitting his head hard.
Hospital treatment was needed.
Sadly, John died three weeks later.
Steve mentioned John took care of himself and stayed very fit.
John loved cycling and golf.
He belonged to many clubs and led a good life, Steve said.
John went to the gym and read the paper; he was a very smart guy.
John retired early because of his hard work and was a successful businessman.
Steve and John lived together for years.
They took a Greek Island trip in June 2024.
They went to Steve’s daughter’s wedding, and John was a popular guest.
Everyone liked him and his humor.
This was only three weeks before his death.
Steve was shocked by the phone call that said John was in the hospital.
Steve visited him every day in the hospital.
John never woke up after a three-week coma.
Steve was with John’s family when he passed.
They turned off the machine.
It was a very hard time for everyone.
Steve couldn’t believe it happened.
The family had to wait for a funeral as a post mortem was needed.
Finally, they had a nice celebration.
Friends and family packed the crematorium; Steve said John was a very popular guy.