Lucy Rae O'Brien

Little Lucy has many family members remaining on earth who adore her, including her two brothers Judah and Owen O'Brien; Dad and Mom Will O'Brien and Kayla (Vander Boon) O'Brien; cousins Halle, Quinn, Piper, and Rory Bonnema, Walker VanDyke, and Graham O'Brien; aunts and uncles Zac and Katie (O'Brien) Bonnema, Joe and Faith (Amerson) O'Brien, Zach and Madeline (O'Brien) VanDyke, John and Susan (Snider) O'Brien, Sam O’Brien, Ellie O'Brien, Hunter O'Brien, Jamie Vander Boon, Shane Vander Boon and Brittney Tripp, and Anika Vander Boon; grandparents Shaun and Chris (Duiven) O'Brien, Jim and Gwen (VanHaitsma) Vander Boon; great-grandparents Paulette Triemstra, Nancy Duiven, Kit and Char VanHaitsma -- they also loved her in this life. She was greeted in heaven by Auntie Hannah O’Brien, Uncle Josh VanHaitsma (1989-2017), and other angel babies we never got to meet. She was also preceded in death by her great-grandparents Red O’Brien, Diane Anderson, Nick Duiven, Bill Triemstra, Orie Vander Boon, and Laurena Vander Boon.

Lucy Rae was a ray of sunshine everywhere that she went. If you so much as looked at her, she would explode with the biggest smile, a whole flood of chatter, and wiggles that she just could not contain. Truly, we never met a baby who loved her people so much at such a young age. She adored her brothers. Judah could always calm her down with a "Hiiiii Lucy Goose," or the song that he made up for her the first day that he met her. She loved when Owen laid by her and held her hand, and she giggled like crazy when he tickled her.

Lucy has been a fighter since the minute she was born and has changed her family's heart and faith, as well as countless others, forever. From her shoulder dystocia at birth, to her very elusive heart defect, open heart surgery at seven days old, and a miraculously fast and full recovery, she fought hard, and her light shone for countless doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other hospital staff who called her their miracle baby. They gave her the freedom to recover and nurse on her own schedule three days after her surgery, which is unheard of. She continued with her surreal strength and recovery pace, and she met all of her milestones on track, despite her slow start. Lucy taught us surrender and strength, boldness to proclaim the gospel, and how to pray in faith and without ceasing. She taught us that when we pray, sometimes miracles do happen as they did with her heart, and sometimes they do not, but that through it all, the Spirit always moves, the Father is always near and always good, and there is always hope for life everlasting through the victory won over the grave by our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who knew her or were touched by her story will never be the same. After a tragic accident and another three-day fight in the ICU, Lucy left our arms peacefully and found rest in the arms of Jesus on June 13, 2023, exactly six months from the day that the Lord entrusted her to us. She was escorted into glory by her family and some of the most incredible staff at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

We would love to celebrate Lucy's life with open arms because we know her impact was widespread; please join us for the celebration of life if her story touched your heart. The celebration of her life for all who were touched by Lucy's story will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 20, at Grace Community Church (3500 New Holland St., Hudsonville), with one hour of visitation prior to the service. Her celebration of life will be followed by fellowship with cookies and coffee. We are gathering to celebrate her life, so please wear light neutrals or soft colors that remind you of Lucy. Visitation hours for those who know Will or Kayla personally will be from 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Monday, June 19 at Cook Funeral Home (2067 84th St. SW, Byron Center).

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grace Community Church who is graciously enveloping us as the body of Christ and hosting us to celebrate Lucy’s life. The family welcomes memories and messages in their online guestbook at www.cookcaresbyron.com.