Alan McLeish Donley was born January 21, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, the third child of Donald McLeish Donley and Alice Reeve Gwendolyn Skidmore (Gwen) Donley, Al grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and graduated from Hiram College, majoring in math and physics.
He met his future wife, Carol Cram, at a church dance in the basement of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, while both were in the seventh grade. They were married in the same church in 1958. Their three children, Gregory (Greg), Karen, and Theodore (Ted), were born in 1961, 1963, and 1966, respectively. The family always ate dinner together, enjoying not only good meals but also uproarious bouts of laughter around the table.
Al worked for Donley’s Construction early in his life, then began to work for Hiram College, becoming its first financial aid officer. He was president of the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) in 1972–73. During this time, he developed a deep commitment to helping students take advantage of opportunities for higher education, especially for people who were first in their families to attend college.
In 1975, he pursued his entrepreneurial inclinations and started the first of what would be a series of business ventures around computer hardware and software created to serve the needs of college financial aid offices. Among his pioneering and visionary products was a package of software and a simple hand-held computer that admissions officers could take with them on visits to high schools and perform financial aid estimates on the spot for prospective students—this was two decades before the advent of the smartphone. He enlisted the assistance of computer science students, many from Hiram College, providing unique opportunities to young computer programmers to work with challenging real-world projects. He merged his company Financial Analysis Service (FAS) with another education technology firm in the 1980s, and Al sold his interest in 1989, after which he returned to Hiram for another stint as its Director of Financial Aid during the 1990s. He resigned that position in order to start the firm Consolidated Student Aid Service in the mid-1990s, and dedicated his working energies to that venture until his retirement.
He and Carol became active in Christ Church, Hudson, in the 1980s and have remained members there ever since. Each served terms on the church vestry (and Al also served as warden). They traveled to Ireland to serve as Episcopal lay ministers in Sligo. In retirement, Carol and Al both became active in Rotary and Kiwanis, supporting their emphasis on service. He served on the Hiram village council for 19 years, and also served on the Portage County Planning Commission.
With striking ice blue eyes and imposing height, Al could make an intimidating first impression, but anyone who spent more than 30 seconds with him quickly discovered a warm, gentle, and generous human being with a penchant for really bad puns and good-natured, sometimes snarky humor.
He is survived by his wife, Carol (Cram) Donley, of Hiram; a brother, Clifford, of Columbia SC; children Gregory of Cleveland Heights, Karen of Garrettsville, and Theodore of Worthington; and grandchildren Andrew and Gwendolyn, both of Cleveland Heights.
The family will receive visitors at Mallory-DeHaven-Carlson Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, 8382 Center Street in Garrettsville, OH 44231, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Friday, January 24, 2020. A memorial service will be held at Christ Church Episcopal, 21 Aurora St. in Hudson, Ohio 44236, on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. with Rev. Charlotte Reed officiating. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Hiram College. Online condolences at www.carlsonfuneralhomes.com
