Shortly before her death in 2017, Miyoko Molen said to her husband of 61 years: “If I go first, I’ll wait for you.”
She is no longer waiting.
Michael West Molen, 83, died Feb. 18, 2019 after a battle with cancer.
Mike was born in Hammond, Indiana on Aug. 16, 1935. He was the oldest of five children born to Iona and Reid Molen. As a boy, he delivered newspapers. On the coldest days, his father would follow him in his car. Mike also joined the circus as a food handler at his cousin’s stand.
He moved on to the Navy and was stationed in Japan. There he met a young waitress, Miyoko Orita, who would become his partner for life. They married in 1956 and left Japan shortly after the birth of their daughter, Jan, in Kyushu.
From there they went to Bremerton, Washington, where son Michael was born. Then onto Idaho Falls, where son Bob was born. Next was Oakland, where daughter Cindy was born while Mike was overseas. The Navy sent him to Oceanside after that and this is where Mike and Miyoko stayed until their deaths.
As a corpsman in the Navy, Mike’s time included a deployment in Vietnam. Based on the photos he sent home, his young children thought he was having fun—playing monopoly and wrapping huge snakes around his neck.
Mike also was a Little League baseball coach and Boy Scout leader. He also enjoyed woodworking.
After 23 years in the Navy, Mike opened a handyman business, before settling on a career as a tile shop owner. Ceramic Tile Supply in Oceanside became more than a job. For 39 years, it was a social outlet, as he enjoyed talking to everyone.
Even though he often worked long hours, he still had energy to hit the local casinos with Miyoko. And, of course, he loved going to Las Vegas. Only his wife could match his staying power at the slot machines. His children, who mainly went for the buffets, would bow out long before them.
Mike is survived by daughter Jan, her husband Jim, their daughters, Mari and Mika; son Robert, his wife Joanne and their sons Michael and Jonny; brothers Tom and Louie Molen; and sister Karen. He was preceded in death by son Michael, daughter Cindy, wife Miyoko, sister Janice Yarbrough, brother-in-law Jak Lundquist and parents, Iona and Reid Molen.
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