Michael Mac Govern

Michael MacGovern born January 30, 1932 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Lorenzo MacGovern and Anna Maria Phillips died on May 17, 2018 at the age of 86 at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida surrounded by his loving family.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years Paula Mullen MacGovern of Dublin, Ireland, his sons Pablo, Andres and Alan, granddaughter Ariana and his extended family in Argentina, Ireland, England and the United States of America.

Michael spent his childhood and formative years in Argentina traveling back with his family to the MacGovern’s ancestral lands of Ireland in the 1950’s where he served in the capacity of attaché to his father the Argentine Ambassador to Ireland. It is in Ireland where Michael met the love of his life Paula Mullen daughter of Senator Michael Mullen General Secretary of the I.T.G.W.U. and Anne Peavoy of the Navan Road.

Returning to Argentina with the MacGovern family in 1958, Michael continued with his far reaching love of Paula. After a series of love letters and assured of Paula’s love he wrote to Mr. Mullen requesting his approval to wed his daughter.

Michael and Paula married in Philadelphia a halfway point between Argentina and Ireland in 1959. The newlyweds returned to Argentina where they had three boys and traveled back to Ireland by way of sea and air throughout the 1960’s.

Michael worked as Supervisor of Quality Control for the Ford Motor Company in Argentina where upon looking for a better life and future for his family he requested a transfer to Ford USA in Detroit, Michigan.

On November 23, 1967 (Thanksgiving Day) Michael landed with his family at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. He took up residence at the Olcott Hotel in Manhattan a half block from the Dakota Apartments. As a result of the racial inequities and political climate in 1967 Detroit, Michael decided to stay in Manhattan and was employed the next day by the Alcoa Corporation of America.

For the next twenty years Michael worked for Alcoa and then Helmsley and Spear.

Michael was an avid sports enthusiast. As a child in Argentina he was a fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. During his years in Manhattan he was a NY Ranger and Islander fan. He loved playing tennis and with his sons attended the US Open National Tennis Championship in New York on a yearly basis. More recently and to the day he died he was a fan of Lionel Messi and the Barcelona Fútbol Club.

Michael retired to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he lived out the last quarter of his life with his wife Paula and right hand companion his son Alan.

We will miss him with all of our hearts

May he now Rest In Peace - God Bless