Michael Anthony Durcan

Born in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 1942, to Edward and Mary (Waechter) Durcan, Michael was raised in Jacksonville, Florida with his older sister Cletus. He was an altar boy at his Catholic parish and loved body surfing at the beach as a child. Mike was a standout athlete, captain of the football, baseball, and basketball teams, as well as Student Body President and ROTC member at Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville.

After receiving his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, Mike joined the Army and proudly served in Vietnam as a 1st Lieutenant. For his service, he received the Combat Medical Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.

Following Vietnam, Mike backpacked and hitchhiked through Europe and frequently found himself drawn back to his favorite country, Spain, where he loved filling his water bottle with wine from a tap in the wall of bodegas. He then went back to school to get his MBA from Florida State University.

After grad school, Michael began his career in medical device sales, selling pacemakers. He was then offered a job as Regional Sales Director at 3M in Minneapolis. There he worked closely with local and state transportation departments and was a top salesman over many years. While in Minnesota, Mike was set up on a blind date with Mary Ellen Krusell. They married on May 20, 1977 and were blessed with two daughters, Kathleen and Kelly. Shortly after Kelly was born, Michael’s work with 3M brought the family to Denver, where they skied, camped, road-tripped, and took advantage of all that raising a family in Colorado has to offer.

Michael retired early at 55, but was never one to sit still. His passions were golf, gardening, and watching football. He created a garden oasis in their backyard in the Park Hill neighborhood, with lush flower beds and vegetable gardens…not to mention he was composting decades before it was popular. When not working on his garden, Mike prided himself on his woodworking abilities and enjoyed helping neighbors and friends with countless projects. He also loved to invent items to make his family’s life easier, one of which being a hands-free hairdryer device (worked like a charm). Michael shared his love of sports with his wife and daughters, and invested any free time to coach and challenge them to improve their skills and passions. (While Mary Ellen didn’t always appreciate the constructive “feedback,” the girls soaked up his knowledge.) His sarcastic and sneaky sense of humor never failed to charm others and bring them to laughter or shake their head in disbelief. Never one for big crowds, he loved connecting with others in small settings or one-on-one. He was often found greeting neighbors and strangers from the rocking chair in his garage through the last years of his life.

Michael is predeceased by his beloved wife of 47 years, Mary Ellen; his parents Ed and Mary Durcan; his sister, Cletus Hudson; and his nephew Noah Hudson. He is survived by his daughters, Kathleen Durcan and Kelly Durcan, and granddaughter, Delaney Durcan, all of Denver. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Steve Hudson and nieces Kirsten Hudson and Zoe Hudson.

A memorial service for Michael will be held Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM with a reception to follow at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, 6601 South Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121.

Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike’s honor to the Denver Hospice, https://thedenverhospice.org/donation/