In Memoriam: Michael (Mikey) Norman Donahue

A tribute written by his brother Nic Donahue

Michael (Mikey) Norman Donahue died on April 24, 2024, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. He suffered an unexpected brainstem hemorrhage at his home in Hood River. Mikey was 38 years old. It has taken me two years to write this tribute, as his absence left me heartbroken and lost. Mikey was a pillar in Portland’s urban wine community for almost ten years, a friend to all, a certified black belt forklift operator– and my little brother.

Mikey moved to Portland in 2010 to help me open Alchemy Wine Productions and start a new life for himself. Some of my best memories from that chapter involve our late-night labeling sesh at the winery. We would pick up Session stubbies from Plaid Pantry and put on some Spoon or Modest Mouse. Countless hours laughing, dreaming and labeling. Nothing else mattered beyond those walls; it was our time. What we were doing was a tiny drop in the wine industry, but it felt like we had the world by the balls. We were dreamers, and the dream was alive in Portland. I wouldn’t trade those late-night adventures with him for anything. Mikey moved on to work for Southeast Wine Collective, where he became the glue for production and operations and fixed anything that broke. The job that no one else wanted but everyone else needed done. He found his place in the industry not out of a love for fermentation, but out of a love for the community. His ability to shine through adversity was a gift that made you question his sanity; his presence was a reassuring aura of safety and love. We got this, Mikey’s here.

This harvest, if you need a reminder of Mikey’s infectious love and commitment, you can find him in the smell of fermentation, the first turn of the press or in every Fall sunset. He embodied the excitement of harvest, the dreamer in all of us. If it’s crush pad jams, Led Zeppelin was a sure hit. I will always find him in “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine.

He was laid to rest in the Pacific Ocean off the Central Coast of California at Refugio Beach, where he grew up. He is deeply missed by his family and everyone who had the privilege of his friendship.

Godspeed brother.