Thomas Michael Donahoe, born on August 3, 1936, in Riverside, CA, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, in Palm Bay, FL. He was the beloved son of Beamer and Mary Donahoe.

Tom is survived by his loving wife Martha Donahoe; his stepdaughter, Martha Merino (spouse Octavio Jacobo Sr.); and step-grandsons Alejandro and Francisco Octavio Jacobo (Jr.); his sister, Anna Ratcliff; and nephews, Alan (spouse Lara), Todd, Jonathan (spouse Veronica) and niece Barclay Ratcliff. He was preceded in death by brother-in-law Dr. Bruce Ratcliff.

Tom was a loving, honest, unique, wonderful person and was an encyclopedia of technical knowledge. He possessed the gift of an extremely mechanical mind that he used enthusiastically and never stopped fixing things, even into his late 80s. He frequently provided sound mechanical advice and was a mentor to many. Tom was an engaging storyteller. His eyes would light up, and he would get excited while telling one story after another.

He was raised on a farm in Huntington, WV, and spent a great deal of time working on cars, taking care of horses, gardening and other farm-related tasks. He loved telling stories about the magnificent Morgan horses that his father raised.

Tom graduated from the high school Marshall College Laboratory program in Huntington, WV. He worked as a mechanic while building and racing cars before joining the U.S. Army in 1956. He served as an Air Defense Artillery Radar Crewmember stationed both stateside and in Germany, was Honorably Discharged from the Army in 1958 as a Private First Class (T), and was awarded a Good Conduct Medal for his service.

He returned to Huntington, WV, and worked for a Ford dealership there. Tom used to tell of his experience working at the dealership while racing on weekends. Notably, he was the mechanic always tasked with repairing the complicated hydraulic hard-top roofs on the mid-50s convertible Ford sedans. Apparently, none of the other mechanics were able to repair them. He fondly recalled these memories while seeing the collection of these hard-top convertible Fords at the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, FL.

Tom also worked as an apprentice mechanic for several NASCAR and dirt circle track teams from the Huntington, WV area. He often told stories about the “tricks” he learned from them and the hard work that was required to be part of the teams. He mentioned that they received a 1957 Chevrolet that formerly belonged to Zora Arkus-Duntov, known as “Father of the Corvette.” After a frustrating day at the track, Tom and others had to remove the Chevy’s engine at least 35 times while making improvements each time. Tom credited much of his racing and mechanical success to the experience he gained as a member of these teams. He mentioned that they would frequently race circle track cars during the day on the weekends and then drag race until late into the night.

Tom’s experiences were dynamic as a racing pioneer. He often told stories about moonshine cars that he worked on during his time in Huntington, WV, and about installing Cadillac engines in Mercury’s that were modified to carry moonshine on back roads. He mentioned the cars ran well over 100 mph on the back roads in the region due to the hopped-up engines and other improvements.

Tom moved to the Melbourne area in 1960, seeking business opportunities. He worked for a Ford and then a Lincoln dealership. Subsequently, he went across the street and worked for an auto repair shop because of better pay. He worked at a Phillips 66 that used to be in the vicinity of Sarno Road and U.S. Route 1. He eventually opened Donahoe’s Auto Electric, 3645 New Haven Ave West Melbourne, FL. Over time, the business grew, and he opened auto repair businesses at several other locations around Melbourne. He told colorful stories about repairing boats on the Indian River that were operated by Apollo Astronauts and large yachts owned by GM Executives.

He was not only a successful businessman but also a successful racer. During the 1960s, he campaigned an AA/FC with Larry Leech as his crew chief. It was powered by a 427 cubic inch Big-Block Chevy (BBC) engine that Tom received from Jim Rathmann, the late race car driver and Chevrolet dealership owner. In 1968-1969, he was under contract to match race at Miami-Hollywood Raceway with Shirl Greer. Every other week, they were the track’s match racers, and Tom won at least 80 percent of his races. He was one of the first racers of narrow-frame Funny Cars and is known for developing one of the first long-frame wheelie bars that is still used in racing today. Tom and his crew built and maintained the race car (5 years), which was Corvair-inspired and named “DONAHEE”. Tom said he chose this name because race track announcers often mispronounced his name as DONAHEE! Later, Tom built and raced (2-3 years) a Corvette-inspired funny car, also named “DONAHEE”, powered by the same Rathmann 427 BBC engine. He experimented with both alcohol and nitromethane fuels in race cars. In 2014, Tom was inducted into the Miami-Hollywood Racetrack Hall of Fame.

His drag racing success was highlighted in several issues of Hot Rod magazine in the late 1960s. The September 1967 Hot Rod issue stated:

“’LO MISTER DONAHEE… West Melbourne, Florida’s Thomas Donahoe has been kickin’ moisture out of the Florida swamps recently with the injected, semi-hemi Chevy ‘Vair…funny-type. A builder of engines since the days of the “three-and five-by-three-eighths” flatheads, Tom now campaigns the car in the southern end of his home state. With problems still to be ironed out, best to date is a 50%-nitro run of 9.11, 161. Not all the “funny machinery” is on the West Coast, is it?”

His love for racing was not limited to car racing; motorcycle racing was another of his passions. He tried both motocross and road racing as he pursued other types of racing.

Tom built many race engines, demonstrating his proficiency well into his later years. He once built at least 23 successful race engines in one year and was a “go-to” engine builder for many racers in the area. Tom was an active member of the American Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA).

Additionally, he successfully rebuilt many thousands of automotive starters and alternators and was well-known at the national level. He developed and sold thousands of tools for the domestic and international starter and alternator rebuilding industry. He was an active member of the Automobile Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA), which held annual “Big R” trade shows in the late 1980s. Tom displayed his innovations at these shows and provided technical expertise for many rebuilders.

One of Tom’s favorite things to do was attending the annual Performance Racing Industry convention (PRI) to learn about the innovations within the racing community. He routinely shared his experiences and information he gained at the conventions. He often referred to the specific articles and parts within the monthly PRI magazine.

Tom was a “Racer’s Racer” and will be forever missed by his family and the many friends and acquaintances he made over the years.

His funeral with full military honors is scheduled at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, FL, on February 5, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Attendees are requested to arrive at 1:45 PM and form a line of vehicles in Lane A.

Donahoe’s Donahee   You Tube Tribute Video