Bentley "Bempy" Michael Donahue

Our beautiful baby boy, Bentley Michael Donahue was born December 1st, 2016 ready for the fight of his life at just 28 weeks with an indescribable amount of strength that blew everyone away and gained his Angel wings Monday, June 26th, 2023.

Bentley was loved fiercely by not only his parents Jacob Donahue and Mae Starek but everyone who met him. He had a smile that could light up an entire room. He had a fight in him that most would never be able to understand. The amount of love that little boy could show without having the ability to talk was incredible. His laughter melted every heart around him. He lived life as the happiest little boy regardless of the obstacles that came his way. As much as his abilities to thrive could have held him back, he never failed to amaze every doctor, and everyone who had the pleasure of seeing him.

Bentley just recently started kindergarten and he loved it. He met so many little friends with the same passion and determination to thrive as him, he had the most amazing teacher, nurses, and therapists that spent so much time in a short amount of time getting to know Bentley that made his few months in school a beautiful experience. He loved watching his sisters play, playing with him, and even listening to them argue, for whatever reason that was always something that could make him laugh hysterically. Him and his mama would sit back and just laugh together, mostly because it was always over something so little. Diaper changes were his favorite, again something that he couldn’t hold back from laughing from the entire time. He enjoyed going for walks as long as it wasn’t too hot and the sun wasn’t shining in his eyes or the wind blowing too hard in this face ( yes that baby boy knew what he liked and didn’t like). Snuggling up with mama was always the best, there was never a time he was upset that cuddling up real tight didn’t fix anything his little heart or body was upset about. Nothing could make him belly laugh as hard as his daddy scratching his head, playing with his hair or tickling him. The amount of love that radiated from Bentley, could fix any bad day, or heal any broken heart, Bentley was the knot that held our family together and although his time here on earth has come to an end, we know he will forever be what keeps our entire family as a whole.

Surviving are his parents: Jacob Donahue and Mae (Daniel Erickson) Starek; his beautiful sisters: Riley and Everly Donahue; his step-sisters: Brianna and MacKenzie Farrell. Tons of Cousins, Aunts and Uncles, grandparents, and an entire army of friends and strangers that stood beside us through every single moment with Bentley.

A memorial visitation for our Bempy boy will be held on Saturday, July 1, 2023 from 1:00 pm until time of service beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Tezak Funeral Home, 1211 Plainfield Road in Joliet. Let’s celebrate this beautiful boy, for all that he loved, lived and endured during his 6 years of life here on earth. Let’s come together like the family we have all always been for him.

In lieu of flowers, any donations made to the family during this time would be greatly appreciated.