Stella T. O'Neil-Donahue
Agency patch
Police Officer

Stella T. O'Neil-Donahue

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA
Accident
End of Watch January 11, 1957
Age 29
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Badge 5056
Gender Female

Incident

Police Officer Stella O'Neil-Donahue and Police Officer Daniel Meehan were killed in a vehicle crash on Roosevelt Boulevard near Cottman Avenue. Their vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. The two had been investigating the behavior of teenagers in the Pennypack Circle section and were on their way to a restaurant when the crash occurred. Officer Donahue had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for four years.

Survivors

She was survived by her husband and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
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Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You barely got started.
Police Officer O'Neil-Donahue gave the Philadelphia Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer O'Neil-Donahue.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA
Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 11, 1957
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Age 29
Badge Number 5056
Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Stella is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1957, 55 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 85th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Stella was 29. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Stella had served 1.5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where she stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

January holds 7.7% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Fridays: 15.1%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

Her people

Philadelphia Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Stella among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Stella T. O'Neil-Donahue

Philadelphia Police Department · End of Watch January 11, 1957

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 2-E

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