Other Comments at Farewell

Various from Facebook

Debbie (Ellis) Patton

Your dad was definitely a man of nature. How odd that nature took him this way.

Karol Hovis

I want to tell you something. When I was ready to drop out of college, I ran into your dad in Shoals. In his quiet way, he asked me about my decision and suggested that maybe I should just go ahead and stay in school. Somehow, knowing that someone (who, in truth, barely even knew me) cared enough to encourage me made a difference. I stayed in school, graduated, taught special ed for 10 years--and I never forgot how his taking those few moments for me made a difference in my life. He was a good and decent man, and I can't think of any higher compliment than that. My condolences to you all.

Roger Welch

I know we're mourning for Mike today ... but ... it’s saturday and i'm betting that mike is playing golf with The Big Guy today...and joking with him just like he would with us. R.I.P., brother, and remember when you play golf with God you should let him win once in awhile.

From Other Contributors

Sharon Pugh

read by Marty Bird
I worked with Mike many years in Bloomington, here is my contribution:

For many years, Mike was my colleague as a teacher and administrator at the IU Student Academic Center, but I met him in the context of a graduate workshop on story-writing I offered one summer in the early 1980s. As I got to know Mike, I was struck by his own stories of ways in which he assessed his values, revised his priorities and changed his life to center on his family rather than conventional trappings of success, which he had already achieved. Mike was true to himself and those he loved in ways that most people cannot emulate, and despite whatever challenges were inherent in his choices, I have always believed the members of his family were uniquely blessed. His decision to leave education to manage the golf course was another of these heartfelt choices. As much as losing this friend saddens me, it is some comfort to know that he spent the last day of his life in the setting where he chose to be.

Brynda from the shop in Bloomington (Miki’s friend)

Read by Marty Bird
While on one of his frequent jaunts to take some pictures, Dad stumbled across Brynda's shop in Bloomington the week before he died. This is how she described him on that day for Miki . . .

He looked so tanned and hale and hardy and happy and said he'd put my store on his regular Bloomington route and told me how much he was enjoying his life. Your Father was so young and still so full of sass. He teased me ruthlessly because I could not come up with Kevin's name for some bizarre reason - and he said you were Kevin's Undergraduate lover or something sassily adorable like that.

DJ Harder and Jenn James

by Marty Bird
Just a couple days after dad died we went to breakfast at The Junction here in Loogootee. Jenn James waited on us and expressed her condolences to Mom by stating “I’ll take care of your breakfast tab - order whatever you want.” Her boyfriend, DJ Harder, who has been golfing at Lakeview since he was 7 or 8 years old, stopped by and wished us well, stating “I’ll think of Mike every time I golf for sure.”