Retired US Navy SEAL Lt. Bob Donegan died in late 2016 and was a frequent swimmer at our South Bay Family YMCA. A tile was placed in the memorial garden on September 22, 2017 to honor Bob’s service and the time he spent as part of our Y community.
An avid swimmer, Bob was in the pool for up to eight hours a day. Bob swam laps, which provided relief and comfort from the pain he was dealing with from cancer.
For 20 years, Bob mentored and inspired countless service members and lived by the Navy SEAL’s Code of Conduct. The code emphasizes loyalty, leadership, perseverance and responsibility. Many of these values coincide with YMCA’s four core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and caring, which is why Bob likely also cared for the YMCA so much.
“My father lived the SEAL code every day of his life and he loved the YMCA and swimming in the pool,” said Brenda Donegan, his daughter.
The South Bay Family YMCA will miss Bob as part of our community and thanks him for his service to our country.