I have known Mike my hole life.  One of my first memories is when I asked a Question to the smartest person i knew, My sister Beth.  She said "Lets ask Mike, He is smart"  I don't remember the Question, But I do remember My mind was blown that the  Smartest person in the world to me thought someone else was so smart.  He was.  I also remember how easy it was to talk to Mike and ask questions and I was on my best behavior because I liked him and wanted to talk more  and always had more questions. It Felt Good to talk to Mike and laughter always was next.  Mike was like Google, But I trusted Mike more.  Throughout my life my questions went from science and the world to Life and I was so comfortable I could ask him anything. Mike was a lot more than super smart.  Mike gave me answers and guidance,direction, opinion ,and suggestions through good times and bad. I am truly blessed to have  to have such an incredibly wonderful man in my life  My deepest sympathy to Beth, Amy, Brian, Chris, Dave,, Laney and Jasper.

My favorite thing to tell anyone about my brother Mike is that he is a member of the Sea Glass Association of America! ✨ It gives me an enormous sense of pride. When my children and I would visit we would spend hours scouring the beach near his place in Fortescue. He even designed a special sea glass scooper so you wouldn’t have to bend over. Mike was a collector and gatherer and would research the history of all his magical finds. We would spend hours examining each piece after the search. The most exciting find was a “red” that my daughter Melanie located. You would have thought she struck gold that day. I will treasure my memories of Mike and his enthusiasm of a great find. All my love Mike...Rest In Peace. ✨♥️

Looking through photos to find some to post I realized that my dear brother Mike and his family have been such a big part of my life for so many years.  Sorry that the photos are out of order but I thought they were all worth sharing.  Thank you Beth, Christine, Amy and all for sharing such an amazing person with the rest of us!  You have always made so many of us welcome whenever we showed up at one of your homes and it has always been cherished time.  Mike's knowledge of everything he & Beth were interested in was shared not only with us but with anyone who had an interest.  He was larger than life and was so strong and brave at dealing with all that life threw at him with Beth at his side.  His love for Beth, Amy, Brian, Christine, Dave, Laney and Jasper showed in his actions and his eyes.  Love you to the moon and back!  

I was 1 year old when you joined the USAF so I don't have many early year stories, but one of my fondest memories of you was when I was playing on the landing in NJ late at night and you came into the house with Lisa, the German Shephard dog that was being abused. I was so scared you were breaking in.  You calmly told us you thought she would make a good family pet for us and she did.  We moved north to Vermont shortly after that and brought Lisa with us.  Although we didn't get to see you as much as we wanted, it was always special when we did. We were so happy when you married Beth.  One of the greatest joys of our lives was when you and Beth had our very first niece, Amy.  Christine followed shortly behind and completed your family perfectly. Your family continued to grow when the girls met their life partners, Brian and Dave.  The birth of your grand kids, Laney and Jasper made you the happiest man on earth! Over the years there were various trips to NJ or VT for visits.  It was great fun when a bunch of us were able to make the trip to PA to visit your cabin in the woods.  You even had to work on my car when we got there!   Gary and I have always looked forward to our stop in Fortescue on our way to Ocracoke with our sister, Beth. You always welcomed us and told us great stories.  You had an incredible drive to do the research needed and knew so much about everything you studied.  You will always be loved and missed!  Joanni & Gary

Mike was working at the bindery in the 1970s when he saw that the end of the roll paper was cut off and thrown out by the place that printed it. He retrieved it and he gave it to me. I used that paper for 45 years, up until 2019 when the roll finally was gone. I posted a pic of the paper. I had to buy Christmas paper this year. He saved me $$$ in wrapping paper costs for sure.

From Laney~ When me and Jasper were little, we would get crazy presents and one of the ones I got him was a pink tiger stripe mirror and when I gave it to him he said "Now I can see how handsome I am!" He hung it in Fortescue on a hook near the door.
One present that Jasper got him was a Spider Man lunchbox. He loved it.

I have many wonderful memories of Mike but two that I will share with you all. The first was at the tender age of 16, it was time to learn how to drive. Being the caring brother that he was Michael decided to teach me. He said we needed to make a couple of stops before we got started. The first stop he said he was looking for some parts for one of his cars so we went to the junkyard. A great place to be when your wanting to learn how to drive. He then decided to take me to the cemetery as it would be a safe place to be learning. After a reasonable amount of time he decided I was roadworthy and we went out onto a major road. As you can expect I was terrified and I said I have to stop, I can't do this and turned into the parking space of a storefront. Either he didn't tell me or I couldn't remember how to stop. I think he may have put his foot on my foot on the brake but we narrowly missed the building. Needless to say I did not get my license till I was 21.

My next story was my first move away from home,I got a job at Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont. My brother Mike and my sister Judy decided to come up and work there also, which was great. We often got bus loads of senior citizens coming to the lodge, hoping to meet Maria. One lunch time we were in the dining room and a woman said to Michael "you look just like you did in the movie" to which Michael replied "Thank you madam" and proceeded to carry on his duties. I am sure he made that woman's day, which was what I will always remember Michael for, trying to make everyone's life a wee bit better. I love you Mike and I'll miss you