A Glenview native, Steve Donovan was an enterprising entrepreneur whose first business venture began before he was old enough to drive. “He had an entrepreneurial streak,” said his brother, Jack. “I admired his moxie for business.” As a teenager, he started a handyman business, doing odd jobs in his neighborhood and branching out when he started to drive. Mr. Donovan, 41, of Atlanta, died on Monday, March 22, of a heart attack in his home. Mr. Donovan loved and excelled in sports. As a senior at Glenbrook South High School, he captained both the football and wrestling teams. If he wasn’t playing and organizing games, he was watching his favorite teams: the Cubs, the Bears and the Bulls. After graduating from Southern Illinois University in 1984, Mr. Donovan dabbled in real estate–purchasing, renovating and renting two run-down apartment buildings in Wicker Park, a neighborhood that many at the time viewed as a bad risk. He moved to Orlando in the late 1980s and started Donovan News, a newspaper distribution company. After selling it in 1996, Mr. Donovan moved to Atlanta. He worked at two computer consulting firms and purchased an apartment building there. Despite leaving Chicago more than a decade ago, the city remained in his heart. He visited often to check on his properties and spend time with his family. “He is somebody who would make most Chicagoans proud. He wore it on his sleeve wherever he went,” said his brother. He is also survived by his parents, Jack and Betty Donovan; another brother, Thomas; and three sisters, Janis, Susie Arndt and Beth Ann Martinelli. Services have been held.
