Michael Kenneth Jeoffroy

It is with great sadness that the family of Michael Kenneth Jeoffroy announce his sudden passing on April 29th in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of 58. Mike was born to Vickie (Galloway) and Ken Jeoffroy on March 10th, 1968, in York, Ontario.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife Danette; his daughter Taylor; sister Michelle; brother-in-law Gregory; nephews Jake and Joshua; and father Ken. He is predeceased by his mother Vickie and mother-in-law Elaine.

Mike loved his family more than anything. He and Danette were married for 29 ½ years and together for almost 32. His daughter, Taylor, was his pride and joy. He was endlessly proud of her and said so to everyone he met. Mike and his sister, Michelle (Shelly to him), were very close, and they loved each other unconditionally. Greg Burton was Mike’s brother-in-law by name, but true brothers in their hearts. Jake and Josh are Mike’s nephews, whom he always made time for, loved to tease, and taught them to cheer for the Buffalo Bills.

One of Mike’s biggest loves — and source of frustration — was the Buffalo Bills. Anyone who knew Mike knew his unwavering passion for this team and joy of sharing this love with others. He gave that team his time every Sunday for 40 years! He was even watching them play from his bed in the ICU after his cardiac arrest in 2011. The nurses were not happy with him yelling at the TV, but he wouldn’t let his hospital stay stop him from cheering them on.

Mike’s other passion was travel. He caught the bug early in life and pursued it first as a career, and then into personal adventures. Danette joined him in this passion; they have been to 45 countries and on 23 cruises, with 4 more booked when he died. Mike wanted to share his love of travelling with those around him. He took great joy in helping his family see as much of the world as they could, always encouraging family trips.

Taylor learned to love travel from him, joining her parents on many vacations and continuing to travel on her own. She now lives in Scotland with her partner L and their 2 cats. He visited her in Scotland many times, even visiting once on his own, so they could see the Buffalo Bills play in London. As much as she is missed by being so far away, Mike was so ecstatic that she was pursuing her dream and would do anything he could to help her achieve it. She will be graduating with her PhD in November, and Mike was bursting with pride and excitement to go to Scotland to celebrate her amazing achievement. He will be deeply missed at that special event.

Mike worked at Safety Kleen for 28 years, one of the longest tenured Canadian employees for the company. He worked at the Brampton, Ontario, branch of Safety Kleen for 27 years, where he made many friends. He was well-respected and loved by so many people there and held many roles throughout his career. Mike and Danette recently moved across Canada to Calgary, Alberta, where Mike started a new role with Safety Kleen. His new colleagues quickly learned how wonderful he was and were very fond of him.

Mike’s family would like to extend a personal thanks to Aunt Linda Galloway, who has stuck by us through the good times and the difficult ones. We all know how much you have done for us, and you are truly loved and appreciated.

We would also like to thank the ER doctors and nurses at South Health Campus in Calgary who fought so hard to help Mike, and also had so much compassion for Danette and Taylor when they realized they could not win the fight.

Mike was quite happy with the simple things: his family, travelling, taking and collecting photos from his travels, good wine and Martini Fridays. He loved family get-togethers, was always up for playing games and enjoyed lots of laughs. His laugh was infectious. When Mike laughed, everybody laughed. He always had a trivia question for someone, whether it was about movies, music, travel, or history; he loved sharing what he knew with those around him.

A book could be written about Mike’s generosity, care, and passion. We hope that everyone who knew him will share their memories as well.