Harlie Michael Koontz

born August 5, 1947, in San Bernardino, CA. d. February 8, 2026, in Placerville, CA.Mike was an accomplished musician who led the concert band at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento to State finals. He also played R&B and rock bass with the John Rosasco Quartet and his band MILK. He was a proud member of the musician’s union and through the union he played jazz bass with touring musicians such as Mose Allison and in the strip clubs of North Beach in San Francisco.

Tiring of the nocturnal life of a jazz musician, he went to work as the assistant manager of the new Tower Records Store at Columbus and Bay in San Francisco. He then moved to the Berkeley Tower store as manager when it opened, and then back to Sacramento as the Regional Manager for Tower Records.

Mike then moved to the main office of Tower Records to help with various projects including ordering video and opening video departments when first added to Tower. He was then tapped to assist with opening new record stores as Tower expanded and assisted with new store layout and orders as well as running the “A Team” that set up the new stores.

Mike left Tower after 32 years and opened a sign business, M&M Flash Art where he designed and fabricated signs and banners for businesses in Sacramento. Mike finished his working life as a handyman until he retired in 2009.

Mike loved to travel and was able to spend much of his later years at Tower seeing the world, including long stints opening stores in London and New York - two of his favorite cities. He was also able to travel to Japan, Scotland, Canada and Mexico.

Mike is survived by his wife Janice “Jerred” Gunn, brother Steve Koontz (wife Sabrina), niece Sonoma O’Hagan (husband Cameron and children Leon and Arelene), and niece Shelby Dean (husband James and daughter Audrey).