June 20, 2026
I was presiding at a wedding recently, and as I finished in the pulpit, I turned toward the couple while grabbing my wedding ritual binder. In that second, the binder flew out, papers went all over, and I simply said “WHOOP-SIE!” unconsciously yet louder into the microphone than I would have wished as I righted myself and gathered the papers to continue the wedding.
In the few following seconds, I was awash with both sadness and relief as I realized what I had done. I was becoming more like my Dad.
The Our Father prayer comes easy for me. My father was a pretty amazing man, imperfect, of course, but I could not imagine a better mentor and Dad.
To go back a bit: my Dad, Edward Donahue born in 1932 into a farming family on the North Fork end of Long Island, NY. People don’t often realize how much of that land was farms with potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and more. Many are vineyards today.
So in his 20s my Dad had to start deciding and discerning his future. It was the early 50s, a time when space and exploration was burgeoning around the world, capturing the imagination of so many folks.
So after a stint in the Army, my Dad focused upon becoming what we call today Rocket Science. I know in hindsight that this was a harder decision – to leave the farm – than I had known as a young man. Like a lot of engineers, my Dad was a tinkerer, and while in that work building things that work, things would fall apart, break, and slip. Each one of those mistakes would get a “WHOOP-SIE!” comment as he pulled it together in correction.
So my Dad went to school at night and worked at an aerospace engineering firm, Grumman Aerospace. In 1962, his group was assigned the design and execution of the “Lunar L.E.M.” the craft that would execute the actual lunar landing if they could pull it off. I imagine that there were a lot of “WHOOP-SIE’s” along the way.
Seven years later, with thousands of folks around the country who played a role in that first landing, his team could celebrate in a special way the genius of much of that design and their from scratch creative work.
He had the opportunity to be a part of that incredible time, a front row seat to one of history’s greatest adventures. “Getting them there was not the tricky part, he would say, getting them back safely was…”
Yet this brilliant engineer was also the guy who said “WHOOP-SIE!” in a childlike sing-song voice when he dropped a nut or bolt, a missed hit nail, when anything went wrong. It wasn’t performative, it was an unconscious connection to the kid inside.
There was a day when he fell off the house roof where he was working, my brother and I heard him and came running over. As we helped him stand up, he was mumbling in a small voice: “whoop-sie,” then smiled reassuringly as we he righted himself.
My Dad died in 1994 at 61 after a battle with esophageal cancer. As angry as I was, I can only be grateful for the time he had, for the life he built, for the choices he made. Those choices continue to teach me much.
We had our fights, there were times I disappointed him, there were times I made him proud.
Some men fear that they will become their fathers. It is my life’s goal.
In that wedding moment, between the pulpit and the couple, papers flying everywhere, that ‘whoopsie’ that came out of my mouth was the greatest, most consoling reminder of who I am and whose I am as the saying goes.
I get to carry forward in priesthood and ministry
Rest in peace, Edward John Donahue.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Happy and blessed Father’s Day!