John Michael Rankin

John Michael Rankin, 54, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, September 15, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. We take comfort in knowing that he is completely healed and that we will one day see him again.

Michael was born December 29, 1970, to his loving parents, John William Rankin and Frances Grimes Rankin in Springhill, Louisiana. He moved with his family to Mobile in 1974, when he was three years old. He became a big brother to Bonnie in 1978.

Michael was a devoted and adored husband and father. In March 1999, he married the love of his life, April Tolbert Rankin, who loved him in return, with all her heart. Together they were blessed with two wonderful children, Chloe and Connor, who were his world.

He was a graduate of Baker High School, the Southwest Alabama Police Academy, and the University of South Alabama. After a brief time in the Mobile County Sheriff’s Reserve, Michael spent the rest of his career in Information Technology and Software Engineering. He had a passion for problem-solving, and his career largely focused on his amazing talent for creating solutions to complex issues in the manufacturing and software industries. He especially enjoyed his time at his last company, Park Industries, where he worked as a Project Engineer.

Michael was a life-long avid learner and collector of knowledge, as well as quite the connoisseur of coffee. He loved all things aviation and space. He loved nature and the water and in his younger years, was an accomplished scuba diver. He always dreamed of life on a sailboat. He loved his time mentoring with BEST Robotics and enjoyed various hobbies throughout the years. There was almost no maintenance or handyman challenge that he wasn’t game to try first, himself, apart from working with anything greater than 110 volts, which he usually reserved for his father. He loved his family immensely and was always excited to spend time visiting in Arkansas. An active member of Crossroads Baptist Church, he enjoyed working with the children’s groups and helping in whatever capacity he could. He enjoyed conversations about the Bible and quiet reflection time alone with the Lord.

Michael is survived by his wife, April, his children, Chloe (Ian) Watson and Connor Rankin, his parents, John and Frances Rankin, his sister Bonnie (Matt) Hariel, his grandmother, Bonnie Grimes, his aunts, Sallie (Charlie) Warnecke and Barbara (Dick) Lewallen, his in-laws, nephews and niece, cousins, many precious friends, and his wonderful church family.

Visitation for Michael will be held on Monday, September 22, 2025, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Pine Crest Funeral Home on Dauphin Island Parkway, and from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at Crossroads Baptist Church. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, beginning at 1 p.m. at Crossroads Baptist Church, with burial immediately following in Pine Crest West Cemetery.

He was a sweet soul with a beautiful brain and a loving heart who will be missed terribly by all those who loved him.