Michael "Mike" Donahoo

Michael "Mike" Donahoo of Lincoln, AL. passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 8:56 AM after a 15-month long battle with a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. He was only 59. He was born & raised in Pell City, AL & was a 1982 graduate of Pell City High School. He attended Lincoln Baptist Church & had a strong faith & love for the Lord. Even in the face of so much hardship, his belief only strengthened & never wavered. Mike was a co-owner & former promoter of Talladega Short Track, a business & community he worked hard to help build & grow into one of the premiere dirt tracks in the Southeast. He was also a truck driver for the Benjamin Moore account of Ryder Logistics. As a truck driver, he found his love of travel. He saw 46 US states & countless roads throughout them. He loved his Jeep that he named "Jolene," & he loved to take his family on adventures down backroads & trails through the mountains of Tennessee. He loved to wave at other Jeep-ers &, with his daughter, give rubber ducks to other Jeeps they thought were cool. He loved the mountains & the smokey clouds that rested on their treetops in the distance. In 2021, he accomplished his dream of owning a cabin, "Sweet Annie," in those mountains, which he loved to visit every chance he got. Most of all, he loved his family, & not a day went by that they didn't know it. Not just in his words, which came in plenty, but in all the things he taught & took the time to do for them. He was storyteller & loved history. He was silly & funny &, even in his final days, knew how to keep the family smiling & laughing through all of the pain they faced together. Though losing him brings so much grief, it's only for a little while. They know that he is with them & will steer them through this journey just like all the ones he took them on before. And someday, by following the example he set, they will all meet again in Heaven just like he promised they would. Mike is survived by his wife of 38 years, Rita Donahoo (His passing occurred on their anniversary.); daughter, Maddie Donahoo; sons, Michael "Mikey" Donahoo & Ryan Donahoo; children he loved as his own, David Keene, Mike Smith, Lily Collier, Alyssa Collier, Cole Collier, & Kelsi Moore; children he loved as his own grandchildren; Kylee Keene & "Little David" Keene; sister, Lynne Donahoo; brother, Rob Donahoo; a man he loved as his own brother, Lynn Phillips; a cousin who was more like a brother, Ricky Goss; mother-in-law, Doris Gallups; brothers-in-law, Mark Gallups, Michael Gallups, & Jody Dotson; & countless aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, & friends. Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Louise Gurley; step-father, Alfred Gurley; father, Henry Donahoo; & step-mother, Billie Donahoo. Visitation was Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm at Kilgroe Funeral Home in Pell City, AL, & funeral service immediately followed. Burial was at New Hope Cemetery. Fond memories & expressions of sympathy for the Donahoo family may be shared at www.kilgroefh.com