Michael (Hun-dump, Mike, Dad, Grandan, Mikey, Uncle Mike, Uncle Mitch) was born in Tulsa, OK to Curtiss and Estelle, he is the oldest of their 12 children.
Mike grew up in Long Beach, CA and attended St. Athanasius grade school and graduated from St. Anthony high school in 1960.
In his youth he was a paper boy, grocery bagger, and a bowling pin setter.
There really isn’t a specific time when he met the love of his life, Connie. Their love affair began in 1960 and they married in 1966.
Mike and Connie moved to the San Diego area in 1970 and then found their home in Lakeside, CA where they resided for 49 years. Then they moved to Casa Grande, AZ in 2022 to their forever home.
They share three daughters, Michelle, Teresa and Tiffany, four granddaughters, Amy, Katie, Skylar, and Ashton and four great grandchildren, Aoife, Drew, Croia and Meabh. Being a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather were his greatest joys.
Mike made faith, family and fun his priorities. He was active in his faith and in the lives of the family he cherished.
Mike worked in the foodservice industry and retired from the Lakeside Union School District in 2011 as the Director of Food Service.
Upon retiring, Mike could focus on the smaller joys he loved: fishing, road trips, gardening, and keeping the hummingbird feeders full.
Mike was a man of service. He was an altar boy, a Boy Scout who received the Ad Altare Dei Award, an usher at mass, donated over 10 gallons of blood and served as a Lakeside Union School District board member. He volunteered with the PTA and was a Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Lakeside, CA and also brought communion to the homebound.
Mike is survived by his wife of 60+ years, Connie, his three daughters, Chelley (Phil), Teri (John), Tiffany (Robbie), his granddaughters, Amy (Andrew), Katie (Jade), Skylar (Christian) and Ashton and his four great grandchildren. He is also survived by siblings Jim (Claudia), Margie, Mary, Pamela (Reggie), Robert (Elaine) and Christine, and his sister-in-law, Paulette along with other extended family and friends.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents, Curtiss and Estelle, his parents-in-law, Lester and Bernadette along with his brothers, Dave, Doug, and Bill and sisters Martha and Patricia and his brother-in-law, Lester.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2027, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Casa Grande, Arizona. The Rosary will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 10:00 a.m.
Interment will take place on Monday, January 25, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. at Mountain View Cemetery in Casa Grande, Arizona.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Mike’s love of fishing by donating to the Daniel Hernandez Youth Foundation at danskids.org
