It's that life changing, middle of the night phone call that no father, mother, brother or sister is ever prepared for.

It's a call meant to notify a family member that another is hurt and may be fighting for his life.

"You think it's not true, you pray it's not true," said Patrick Donahue, whose son, Michael, was fatally stabbed at a downtown State College nightclub a year ago on Saturday.

"I don't even know how to describe that night, you're in a daze," he said. "It was a terrible weekend ... to watch him die."

Michael Donahue -- a then 22-year-old Penn State senior from Drums -- was stabbed Feb. 17, 2006, during a dispute at Lulu's Nightspot, 129 1/2 S. Pugh St., formerly known as Club Love.

He died from the stab wound, which punctured his heart, two days later.

Josephy A. Ventura, 28, is charged with first- and third- degree murder for his alleged role in Michael's death. The case against Ventura was recently postponed to allow his defense lawyer more time to gather evidence and consult with experts.

Just a week before Michael was stabbed, his niece, Maggie, was born, said Colleen Donahue, 25, Michael's sister-in-law. He was supposed to see Maggie for the first time on Feb. 17, the day he was stabbed, but never did, she added.

"We took her up to the intensive care unit for him to see her, but by that time, he was too bad," she said. "I'm sure he looks down and everything, but it would have been nice for him to see her, for us to at least get a picture of him holding her."

Coping with the loss of their son has been "rough," Patrick said, "especially now with the old memories coming back."

But Patrick and his wife, Debbie, remember and often think about their son's amorous demeanor.

"He was a happy, loving guy. He loved both his friends and family," Patrick said.

Colleen said she loved Michael's adventurous ways.

"Everything was fun. Nothing should be taken too seriously," she said of his outlook on life. "He was a blast, and always had a witty comeback."

The family has received several e-mails and phone calls, too, which echoed the same admirable attributes they saw throughout their son's life, Patrick said.

"Michael made them feel welcome," he said. "Several people said they would have quit college if it weren't for him, just how much fun he was."

On her visits to Penn State, Colleen said Michael consistently offered for her to stay at his apartment and even gave up his bed for her.

"He was just the nicest person in the world," she said. "He was always going out of his way to make everyone else around him comfortable and happy."

Jayme Bradley, Class of 2006, met Michael their junior year. They lived in the same apartment complex, Bradley said.

"We spent all our free time together," he said. "He was just a very thoughtful and caring person who impacted everyone's lives he ever came in contact with."

Bradley was in New York when he heard his friend was stabbed.

"I left and went straight to the hospital. A group of us were there basically nonstop ... we went home here and there to sleep," he said. "A lot of his friends were there and the family, so we helped each other."

Michael wasn't exactly certain what he would do upon graduation from Penn State, but he was leaning toward a career in law enforcement and considered becoming a state police officer, Patrick said.

Whatever he would have gone on to do, Bradley said the people who were able to meet him in his 22 years of life were "lucky ... you didn't even have to be his friend and you just knew how good of a person he was."