Michael Charles Greenberg

If you ask his family, Michael Greenberg’s life was far too short. But boy, did he live.

He was a special agent for the state police for 20 years, working undercover to nab the bad

guys – and even getting arrested once in the process. It wasn’t unusual to see him on the local

news, or surrounded by stacks of cash and cocaine. While working full time, he started

attending night classes at Nova Southeastern Law School (graduating cum laude, no less). This

is how his three kids grew a taste for burnt popcorn, their dinner of choice in the school break

room. It’s also how they learned it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.

As a young man, Michael spent a few months living on a yeshiva in Israel before serving his

LDS mission in Ecuador. This is fitting as he spent most of his adult life looking like a cross

between a rabbi and a young Santa Claus. He traveled the world, including a genealogy

deep-dive in Ukraine and epic Europe trips with his daughters, but always called South Florida

home.

For Michael, creating a loving home for his family was his greatest achievement. He married his

soulmate, Marquita, in 1984. She was a special agent for the FBI, which led to his standard,

cringey line about how the FBI always gets their man. Don’t let this rewritten history fool you; he

pursued her for months before she relented. They were engaged within three months. Together,

they had the feisty trio of Holly, Annie, and Scott.

Michael was the kind of dad who would wake his kids up in the middle of the night to go

swimming during a spontaneous thunderstorm (while carefully counting the seconds between

lightning and thunder, of course). He would pretend to spank them with a belt, secretly

whispering to please behave so he didn’t have to do it for real. Almost every teacher his kids

ever had would tell them: Wow, your dad is so nice! He made sure his children were sweetly,

impossibly sheltered, and knew in their bones they were deeply loved.

He was also the bonus dad to hundreds of youth through his church work, first as a bishop, and

then as the Branch President for the Young Single Adults.

He is survived by his father, Frank Greenberg, from whom he inherited his impulsiveness and

love for adventure; his mother, Rosita Greenberg, who balanced that with kindness and

softness; his besotted wife Marquita Greenberg; his daughter Holly Nihipali, her husband

Spencer, and their four children Isabel, Kaʻiulani, Leona, and Enoka; his daughter Annie

Greenberg, her husband Andrew Deans, and their Agatha Catsie; his son Scott Greenberg; and

his sister Gloria Mauer and her family. He is predeceased by his brother, Danny Greenberg.

Michael leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and selflessness, and is so very deeply missed