CANAVAN, Dr. Donnah, age 79, of Boston, passed away on April 28, 2021 after a long illness. Daughter of the late Donald and Marie Canavan (Quinn) of Cambridge. She is survived by her brother, Peter J Canavan, also of Cambridge. Also survived by a number of cousins. Donnah was born and raised in Cambridge and attended St. John’s Grammar School, Cambridge High and Latin High School and was a graduate of Emmanuel College. She went on from Emmanuel to pursue her PhD in Social Psychology at Columbia University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA and earned her clinical psychologist license following a fellowship at McLean Hospital in Belmont. She joined the Psychology Department at Boston College in 1970, and has been a member of the Boston College faculty for the past fifty years. Her research concentrated in the areas of social and personality psychology, focusing on interpersonal relations and well-being. She was a long-time member of the New England Psychological Association, serving as the NEPA President in 2001. She presented her research regularly at meetings of psychology organizations both regionally and nationally. At BC, she taught courses in the Department of Psychology as well as in the Wood College of Advancing Studies. Her courses included Personality Theories, Positive Psychology, Psychology of Motivation, and Dynamics of Success. Her students described her as a caring, inspirational, and creative teacher. Most recently, Donnah’s writing and teaching centered around her concept of “Social Energy”, which she described as, “the remarkable consequences of shared enthusiasm”. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting Hours at the Keefe Funeral Home, 2175 Mass Ave, NORTH CAMBRIDGE, on Monday 4-7PM. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday in St. Ignatius Church, 28 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, at 10:00AM. Relatives and friends invited. Burial will be Private. Memorial donations may be made in her name to the Angel Memorial Animal Medical Center, 350 So. Huntington Ave, Boston, Ma. 02130. To send an online condolence please visit www.keefefuneralhome.com.