Coral Springs lays fire department founding father to rest
On Friday, friends, family and fellow firefighters gathered to bid a final farewell to one of the individuals who dedicated several decades of his life to shaping Coral Springs’ public safety.
Russell “Russ” Donovan served as a volunteer firefighter from 1971 to 1997, including a stint as the fifth chief, and he’s credited with modernizing the department in the late 1970s.
The procession following his funeral Mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church paused at Fire Station 64 in the late chief’s honor, as the station was dedicated to him in 2023 for his success in securing funding for the original building.
Donovan was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1935, and enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating high school, according to his obituary. His work in the telephone industry after his service brought him to South Florida in the early 1970s.
At 36, Donovan became one of the Coral Springs Fire Department’s original 13 members, volunteering 30 to 40 hours per week “chasing blazes in an old Ford pickup truck,” according to his obituary. He served as fire chief from 1977 to 1981 and is credited with bringing the department into the modern age. This includes having volunteer firefighters state certified and bringing the first custom pumper trucks to the city.
His obituary also states that Donovan saved several lives during his years serving on the force, including going into a burning building without protection in order to save a sleeping man.
While serving with the fire department, Donovan also raised three children in Coral Springs with his wife, Ellen Donovan. He is survived by all four of them, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is celebrated as a family man, with contributors to his online obituary praising him as a surrogate father for those who had lost their own.
He retired in 1997 at the age of 62. The city’s population had increased from about 18,000 to nearly 100,000 during his 26-year tenure, according to the city’s website on its history.
“He enjoyed the Fire Department dinner dances, deep sea fishing, playing tennis, the occasional golf and traveling with his cherished wife, Ellen,” loved ones wrote in his obituary.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Coral Springs Firefighter Benevolent Association, in memory of Russell Donovan.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 5:58 PM.
