Phillip Michael Askew

Phillip Michael Askew gently passed away on April 18, 2026, after a six-month struggle with cancer. He was born on November 21,1947, in Merced, California. He attended school in Chowchilla and graduated from Chowchilla Union High School in 1965. He was proud to be selected for the City/County All-Star Football Team his senior year.

In January 1967, he joined the U.S. Army just weeks before receiving his draft notice. He proudly served in Vietnam from August 1967 to August 1968. Mike was a crew chief and door gunner on a Huey helicopter for the 1st Air Cavalry Charlie Troop 1/9. He was awarded the Air Medal with “V” device for his heroism during aerial operations in 1967. After Vietnam, he was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, as a drill instructor.

Mike had numerous careers over the years, including more than 11 years of military service, owning a landscape business, and later serving as Director of Operations for the Chowchilla Union High School District from the late 1980s through the early 2000s.

While stationed in El Paso, he met and married Dianne Harman in August 1969. Together they built a life that spanned 47 wonderful and adventurous years, raising two daughters and creating a strong family foundation. They enjoyed traveling, including three years living in Germany during Mike's military service. Dianne passed away in 2016.

In 2017, Mike reconnected with his high school girlfriend, Carolyn Boomer, and they were married in June of that year. Together they shared many adventures-traveling in their RV across the U.S. as well as exploring Europe and Southeast Asia and taking two family trips to Hawaii with Mike's daughters and their families. Together, Mike and Carolyn were “Papa and Grammy” to their grandchildren, creating a welcoming home in Los Osos where many happy family memories were made.

Mike was a generous and loving son, husband, brother, father, father-in-law, and Papa. He would drop everything to support the people he loved, whether that meant driving miles to change a tire or to attend his granddaughters' recitals or birthday celebrations. He considered his son-in-law a son, was devoted to his daughters, and adored his granddaughters.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Dianne; his parents, Norman and Tommie Askew; and his brother, Danny. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carolyn Boomer; his daughter Kimberley Askew Kramer and son-in-law Eric, and granddaughter Cleo; his daughter Christell Askew and granddaughter Chloe; and Carolyn's family, whom Mike embraced as his own. He will be greatly missed by the extended Askew and Boomer families and all who knew him.