Mike Midkiff

Mike Midkiff Larry Michael Midkiff, age 82, of Indianapolis Indiana passed away on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2020. Known to all as “Mike”, he was born in Seymour Indiana on November 29th, 1938 to the late Jack and Dorothy Midkiff of Beech Grove. He is survived by his wife Martha and two children, Greg Midkiff and Andrew Midkiff, as well as four grandchildren, Kathryn, Susan, Charles and Nate, and five great-grandchildren, Bella, Ava, Ivie, Aksel and Indy. Mike attended Beech Grove High School and volunteered for the Navy after graduating. He met the love of his life, Martha (Lukenbill), when they were fourteen. They married when he returned from duty in 1960, and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in July of 2020. Mike worked various jobs while supporting a family and getting his bachelors and then master’s degrees in teaching from IU. He began his teaching career at Southport High School. Mike became the Governor’s Ombudsman under Otis Bowen and spent years fighting for prisoner rights in the Indiana prisons before returning to teaching. He retired from the state in 1992 and he and Martha started their great adventure in teaching at American High Schools overseas. They lived and worked in Sao Paulo Brazil, Lahore Pakistan, and last in Dakar Senegal. They used their school breaks to travel the world and by their estimation have circumnavigated the globe several times visiting 72 different countries. They returned to the states and settled down in a condo on the beach in Sand Key, Florida where he finally retired from teaching at Saint Petersburg High School. Through his great love for history and for teaching, Mike inspired generations of students, helping them to think for themselves, and to understand how history fits into the context of current events. He was never without a story, either from his past, or from history, and his family, his friends, and his students will miss the man who was always teaching. A memorial service will be held on Sunday January 10th at 1:00pm at Little and Sons Beech Grove Chapel. In Lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Indiana University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the IU School of Medicine at https://medicine.iu.edu/research-centers/alzheimers/giving We are restricted to 25 guests at this time and a mask must be worn at all times in the funeral home. www.littleandsonsbeechgrove.com