Dante Xavier Mercado, age 17, of O'Fallon, Ill., was born October 2, 2002 in Sacile, Italy, the son of Air Force parents. He passed away suddenly at his home on Friday, January 31, 2020.

Dante had dreamed of flying and had loved airplanes since he was a toddler. He was currently enrolled in Flight Lessons at Ideal Aviation at St. Louis Downtown Airport, near Cahokia and was planning on attending Kansas State University this fall. He was employed at Marcus Theater in O'Fallon for the last year and enjoyed playing video games with his sister, cousins and friends. He moved to O'Fallon two years ago from Edmond, Okla., where he attended Santa Fe High School and was active in the Acts 2 UMC youth group and soccer. Currently, he was a senior at O'Fallon Township High School and attended Shiloh United Methodist Church.

Surviving are his mother Cami L., nee Heller, Mercado; father Benjamin Mercado; his sister, Elena, whom he loved very much; his grandparents Craig and Joletta Heller of Wolsey, S.D., Maria E. Rodriquez of Arecibo, Puerto Rico; aunt Margie (Victor) Perez and uncle Jonathon (Jodi) Heller, cousins Isabella and Sofia Perez, Lily and Grahm Heller; and great-grandmother Josephine Hofer of Huron, S.D.

Memorial donations are suggested in Dante's memory to Operation Purple , a program Dante enjoyed as a military kid.

The family will receive friends from 3:30 – 5:00 pm, Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at Shiloh United Methodist Church, 210 S. Main St., Shiloh, Illinois. A funeral service will follow at 5:00 pm, with Rev. Dr. Ken Hutchens officiating. A reception will follow.