Proctor Teen Regun Donahue, 17, Remembered After Cancer Battle, Honored

Regun Edward Donahue, 17, a junior at Proctor High School, was remembered Friday at Peace in Christ Lutheran Church in Proctor following his death on February 24, 2026, an obituary and service listing published on Legacy said. People packed the church on March 6 to view photo boards and other mementos laid out to showcase the Northland connections he made.

Regun’s cancer battle began in October of 2023, when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Doctors found a tumor on his knee in the fall of 2023 and started chemotherapy shortly after, and Regun had his leg amputated in December of 2023. In June of 2025 some spots appeared on his lungs, and he continued receiving chemotherapy and treatment while also being treated for kidney disease at Essentia’s St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.

While receiving care at Essentia’s St. Mary’s, Regun was pinned as an honorary Marine in the hospital lobby in a ceremony attended by his family and hundreds of people. One Marine in attendance said, "In his 20 years of service, he had never been to a ceremony like this one." Regun had long wanted to join the Marines and to work in law enforcement like his father, Brent Donahue, and he later became an honorary St. Louis County Sheriff’s deputy.

His adoptive mother, Shelly Donahue, recalled how life changed when Regun joined their family: "Regun and I met when he was seven, and he came from a very traumatic home, and we’ve had our ups and downs, but he’s always gotten back up and kept fighting." Shelly also posted updates on Regun’s GoFundMe, writing in a Jan. 31 update, "Of course, Regun requested a meeting with JD Vance. Well, and lo and behold, we got a call from the capital today, and the ball is rolling!!!" The family’s updates listed wish-list items and donations to support Regun’s care.

At the March 6 service Pastor Caleb Weight read a scripture-based eulogy that emphasized hope: "Today we grieve, but we do not grieve as ones who have no hope. Regun has been clothed with Christ. He has been united with him. He has been claimed by Jesus. Jesus, the one who says, I am the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me, although they die, will live." Family remembrance text printed at the service reflected on Regun’s personality: "Regun, from the moment I laid eyes on those big, beautiful blue eyes with the longest eyelashes I had ever seen, my heart knew that you needed me. But little did I know how much mine needed you and the unconditional love we had for you."

Regun was adopted by Shelly and Brent Donahue when he was a child and had told family he wanted to enter law enforcement like his father. The memorial and the earlier Marine pinning brought hundreds to honor his courage, and the Legacy obituary lists service details related to his passing on February 24, 2026.