Obituary of Luke Gary Dunn

It is with unimaginable anguish that we announce that our precious 17 month old baby, Luke Gary Dunn ascended into heaven at sunset on August 12, 2015 after a courageous 4 month battle with rhabdoid cancer. Luke was born on February 20, 2014, a long awaited miracle to his parents, MaryJo (Skelly) and Shane Dunn of Glastonbury, who had waited for him all of their lives. He was quite simply everything to them and his loss is immeasurable. He had a magnificent smile, an infectious laugh and incredible huge blue eyes that belied a wisdom far beyond his 17 months. He had the very best personality, unbelievably charming, funny and he made everyone who ever met him fall head over heels in love. He fought such a brave battle with so much love and support from the legions of followers on his Love 4 Luke Facebook page. We are certain that there has never been a baby that was more wanted or loved. He embodied the very best of Shane and MaryJo - such a joyful spirit with an endless capacity for love. He enjoyed singing and dancing and took great joy in music. He also loved Elmo, Beyoncé, pressing buttons, blowing kisses, showing his stinky pigs, giggling with Daddy but most importantly he loved the true peace and utter devotion he found when nestled in his Mothers arms while sucking his thumb. MaryJo never left his side for one second and her ability to ease his fears by snuggling him close is something that she will treasure for the rest of her life. Shane utterly cherished the time he spent every night giving Luke his bottle and having him fall asleep on his chest. Besides his beloved parents, he leaves his maternal Grandmother MaryAnne Skelly of Wethersfield, his paternal Grandparents Patricia and Peter Ignatowicz of Vernon, his aunts and uncles Jody and Bitsy Skelly, Sharon and Mike Carducci, Stephen and Anita Skelly, Patrick and Charlene Skelly, Denise and Tim Harries, Sue (Luke's Godmother) and Ian Kaswan, Shannon Dunn, Kyle and Jenn Norton and Darren and Alicia Ignatowicz and his cousins, Kara and John Capuano; Kristen and Brenna Skelly; Megan, Michael, Mark (Luke's Godfather), and Kristen Carducci; Shannon and Maggie Skelly; Patrick, Ryan, Reece, and Raegan Skelly; Brian and Kyle Harries; Erin and Sara Kaswan and Alexandra Ignatowicz and his canine brother Cash and his special canine cousin Rufus. He was predeceased by his maternal grandfather Joseph E. Skelly and his paternal grandfather E. Gary Dunn. Luke taught us so many things about life, courage and most importantly love during his brief time on earth and we are sure that more lessons will reveal themselves in his lasting legacy in the months and years to come. To that end, we would like to request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Love 4 Luke YouCaring fund (http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-luke-dunn/333312). We are going to find a way to help other families facing this battle and we would also like to honor Connecticut Children's Medical Center, perhaps with a memorial garden for Luke. The care he received there was nothing short of the care he would have received had Luke been a member of their own families. We will remain so grateful for the love, compassion and dedication of the staff at CCMC for the rest of our lives. Most especially we would like to thank Dr. Nehal Parikh, Dr. Chrissy Rader, Dr. Kerry Moss and all of the amazing nurses on the 8th Floor and PICU, especially his primary nurses Allie, Colleen, Tara, Avery and Amy. Calling hours will be Sunday August 16th from 1 to 5 at Mulryan Funeral Home at 725 Hebron Ave. in Glastonbury and a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Church of the Incarnation, 544 Prospect St. Wethersfield on Monday, August 17th at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be private. A mom who walked this journey shared this quote: "The pain I feel is worse than I imagined my grief feels palpable. But to grieve this hard can only mean in this lifetime that I got to love that big . . . and for that I am grateful." For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.