Dick Donah, who taught Hoosic Valley its American history, dies at home in Troy

If you went through Hoosic Valley Central School in the right decades, you sat in Dick Donah’s American history class, and you probably remember it. Richard F. Donah, formerly of Schaghticoke, died Wednesday, September 24, 2026, at his home in Troy.

A graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh, he taught American history at Hoosic Valley, the country’s story told to farm kids and village kids alike, and outside school he was a marathon runner. He and Marilyn Mercier Donah were married for 61 years.

Funeral arrangements and the full obituary are with the family’s funeral home and in the Times Union. If you were one of his students and want to share a memory, the family’s online guest book is the place; we would also be glad to hear from former students for a fuller remembrance.

Source: the obituary published in the Times Union and on legacy.com. We publish death notices for people with a public role in the community, such as long-serving teachers and officials, and only from a published obituary.