Retail Developer Donahue Dies

Daniel W. Donahue, chairman and cofounder of the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based real estate firm Donahue Schriber, died on Dec. 31 at the age of 60 due to complications from recent heart surgery.

A native of North Hollywood, Calif., Donahue co-founded Donahue Schriber 33 years ago with Thomas L. Schriber, the company’s president. Donahue Schriber, now a private real estate investment trust, over the years built a reputation as a leading developer of shopping centers. The company was responsible for developing several in Southern California, including the Glendale Galleria, Tustin Market Place and the Gallery at Tyler in Riverside, among others. It also led reposition efforts for Fashion Island in Newport Beach and Anaheim Plaza.

Donahue began his career as a broker for Coldwell Banker in 1966 and later worked for Griffith and Co. in Newport Beach, becoming president after he and Schriber bought the firm in 1974. In 1983, the partners renamed the business, with Donahue serving as chairman and Schriber as president.

In a company statement, Schriber cited Donahue’s “entrepreneurial spirit, his love of the shopping center industry” and his “passion for the retail real estate industry.” Donahue received numerous real estate industry awards, most recently the Champion of the Industry Award from the California Business Properties Association in October. In May, he and Schriber received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Real Estate from the University of California at Irvine Graduate School of Management.

Donahue is survived by his wife, Michelle, and three children, Katherine, Devin and Morgan; parents Dr. and Mrs. Daniel William Donahue; and four brothers. Services were held Jan. 6 at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach, Calif. —Robert McAllister