March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020
I had the privilege of serving with Michael in South Carolina. He was one my most enjoyable companions to serve side by side with. Has it has been mentioned he always had smile on.
Michael Drew McGhie, beloved son, brother, uncle and friend passed away peacefully on March 13, 2020 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born November 27, 1962 in Salt Lake City to Jerry and Marilyn Fox McGhie. He was the 3rd of 8 children.
When Michael was 2 years old, his family moved to Alpine, where he grew up doing all of the fun things Alpine boys did. He played little league baseball, basketball, was on the swim team, went camping, hunting and fishing with his dad and brothers. He rode his bike all over town, played in the creek, went to Sliding Rock in the summers, then went sledding on cemetery hill and the power house road in the winters. He attended American Heritage and Alpine Elementary schools.
As a teenager he attended American Fork Jr. High and American Fork High School. He earned his Eagle Scout Award. He played city basketball and soccer and became a lifelong fan of Rock and Roll, Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.
After high school he attended UVU for a short time and then served a mission in South Carolina Columbia. He was a dedicated missionary whose letters hold the all-time record for length. They were usually 2 sentences long, letting us know that all was going good for him. He has been a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life.
Michael became a firefighter for Alpine City and it was one of the great loves of his life. He loved fighting fires and cherished the friendships he made at the fire station. He also enjoyed playing softball on the city team.
Mike worked as a custodian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was on a bowling team with his co-workers. He worked at a warehouse, also as a delivery driver and as a landscaper. He was a hard worker and was working outdoors up until his cancer diagnosis. After work and on weekends, he loved going to Denny’s or IHOP and made many friends with servers there.
Michael was an avid reader of Louis L’Amour and William Johnstone western novels. You could usually find him reading with his headphones on as he listened to rock music. He has a collection of almost 500 rock cds and the last song queued up in his headphones was Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” He also had an impressive collection of Godzilla movies, baseball cards, and a variety of hats. Mike loved doing Word Search and played Jewel continually on the ipad.
Michael loved sports and that’s the one time you could get him into an animated conversation. His BYU Cougars were at the top of the list and even when he was weak this winter, he attended a few basketball games. He attended most football games for the last 10 years, and many basketball and volleyball games. He always knew what color we were supposed to wear to the games as he followed the teams on Facebook.
He also loved the Mariners and Seahawks and has been a loyal fan for over 40 years. He was able to attend a Seahawks game in Seattle with his family in December where he got to meet famous players, the mascot, and sit in the CenturyLink Box. It was one of the best experiences of his life.
Lake Powell was Mike’s “happy place.” He went as a boy and as an adult with the same excitement. He looked forward to his annual trip to Lake Powell all year long. While there, he loved to jet ski, read, and swim with his family in the cave. He was always extremely helpful unloading and loading the houseboat. He enjoyed boating, hanging out with the family, eating treats, and was always happy when he was at Powell.
Mike was a friend to all. He loved everyone instantly and didn’t judge anyone. He has 700 friends on Facebook who he seemed to know personally. He would send personal messages and could update the family on anybody who had ever lived in Alpine, attended high school with him, or was a member of the extended family, including 4th cousins.
But most of all he loved his family. He loved being at family gatherings and could talk endlessly about sports. He loved his nieces and nephews and always gave them gifts at Christmastime. He will be remembered as being kind and cheerful. At the end of his life (and throughout his life) when things were the toughest, we would ask, “How are you?” His reply would always be, “Not too bad.”
Michael was a light in our lives. He didn’t complain, even at the end of his life. He will be sorely missed, but we are glad he’s where he can be whole. We know he’s doing a great work and our loss is Heaven’s gain. We love you, Mike, and look forward to being with you again.
Michael is survived by his parents Jerry and Marilyn Fox McGhie and his siblings Kristen Shelley (Robert), Marty (Carrie), Brent (Julie), Steven (Jaime), Jeff (Josie), Lisa Lamb (Rob), Matt (Steffani) and many loving nieces and nephews.
When Michael was 2 years old, his family moved to Alpine, where he grew up doing all of the fun things Alpine boys did. He played little league baseball, basketball, was on the swim team, went camping, hunting and fishing with his dad and brothers. He rode his bike all over town, played in the creek, went to Sliding Rock in the summers, then went sledding on cemetery hill and the power house road in the winters. He attended American Heritage and Alpine Elementary schools.
As a teenager he attended American Fork Jr. High and American Fork High School. He earned his Eagle Scout Award. He played city basketball and soccer and became a lifelong fan of Rock and Roll, Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.
After high school he attended UVU for a short time and then served a mission in South Carolina Columbia. He was a dedicated missionary whose letters hold the all-time record for length. They were usually 2 sentences long, letting us know that all was going good for him. He has been a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life.
Michael became a firefighter for Alpine City and it was one of the great loves of his life. He loved fighting fires and cherished the friendships he made at the fire station. He also enjoyed playing softball on the city team.
Mike worked as a custodian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was on a bowling team with his co-workers. He worked at a warehouse, also as a delivery driver and as a landscaper. He was a hard worker and was working outdoors up until his cancer diagnosis. After work and on weekends, he loved going to Denny’s or IHOP and made many friends with servers there.
Michael was an avid reader of Louis L’Amour and William Johnstone western novels. You could usually find him reading with his headphones on as he listened to rock music. He has a collection of almost 500 rock cds and the last song queued up in his headphones was Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” He also had an impressive collection of Godzilla movies, baseball cards, and a variety of hats. Mike loved doing Word Search and played Jewel continually on the ipad.
Michael loved sports and that’s the one time you could get him into an animated conversation. His BYU Cougars were at the top of the list and even when he was weak this winter, he attended a few basketball games. He attended most football games for the last 10 years, and many basketball and volleyball games. He always knew what color we were supposed to wear to the games as he followed the teams on Facebook.
He also loved the Mariners and Seahawks and has been a loyal fan for over 40 years. He was able to attend a Seahawks game in Seattle with his family in December where he got to meet famous players, the mascot, and sit in the CenturyLink Box. It was one of the best experiences of his life.
Lake Powell was Mike’s “happy place.” He went as a boy and as an adult with the same excitement. He looked forward to his annual trip to Lake Powell all year long. While there, he loved to jet ski, read, and swim with his family in the cave. He was always extremely helpful unloading and loading the houseboat. He enjoyed boating, hanging out with the family, eating treats, and was always happy when he was at Powell.
Mike was a friend to all. He loved everyone instantly and didn’t judge anyone. He has 700 friends on Facebook who he seemed to know personally. He would send personal messages and could update the family on anybody who had ever lived in Alpine, attended high school with him, or was a member of the extended family, including 4th cousins.
But most of all he loved his family. He loved being at family gatherings and could talk endlessly about sports. He loved his nieces and nephews and always gave them gifts at Christmastime. He will be remembered as being kind and cheerful. At the end of his life (and throughout his life) when things were the toughest, we would ask, “How are you?” His reply would always be, “Not too bad.”
Michael was a light in our lives. He didn’t complain, even at the end of his life. He will be sorely missed, but we are glad he’s where he can be whole. We know he’s doing a great work and our loss is Heaven’s gain. We love you, Mike, and look forward to being with you again.
Michael is survived by his parents Jerry and Marilyn Fox McGhie and his siblings Kristen Shelley (Robert), Marty (Carrie), Brent (Julie), Steven (Jaime), Jeff (Josie), Lisa Lamb (Rob), Matt (Steffani) and many loving nieces and nephews.
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March 23, 2020
March 23, 2020
I had the privilege to work with Mike at RMC Property Services over the past few years. He instantly became a new good friend to all of us at RMC. We enjoyed cleaning yards and spraying yards/ homes together. He was a good worker and although I could tell he was often worn out and tired toward the end of the day, he never complained. However, we both agreed that it was good to see the end of some of those hard work days. Mike loved to talk about his family. He was very proud of all of them. He would occasionally get a special phone call from one of them and that was always the highlight of his day. He loved his family very much. One day while working with him he received a call from his brother informing him that he had a ticket for Mike to go see a professional sporting event. That was quite an exiting day. We talked about it for the rest of the week. Boy was he excited for that experience. Again, he loved his family and he knew they loved him. He had his priorities right. An example and lesson for which I am grateful . Mike I look forward to the day that we will be able to once again visit.
March 18, 2020
March 18, 2020
One of the things Mike and I loved to talk about was music. We share a great love for rock 'n' roll. In fact, the last interaction we had came a few weeks ago when Mike asked me if I knew when the new Pearl Jam album was coming out. I told him it was scheduled for release on March 27. He thanked me and signed off with, "Have a rocking day." I plan to take him up on that offer (and so do my neighbors) for as many days as I continue to walk this earth.
One of my favorite Michael stories involves a concert a couple decades ago at Park West in Park City. I believe it was the Scorpions (but it could have been Van Halen). Anyway, I had some of the first available seats on the grass hill, and as we were waiting for the show to start, Michael and one of his friends came strolling by as they were just arriving. We talked for a few minutes and then they continued on looking to find a different spot on the hill to watch the show.
Well, after the main set ended, and we were all on our feet yelling and screaming, waiting for the encores to start, who do I see, but Michael and his friend hurriedly rushing past us and heading for the exits. You'd have thought he just got paged by the fire department! I guess they wanted to make sure to beat the traffic. (Granted, getting out of Park West after a concert was a trial of endurance in itself -- but I had to shake my head at how anyone could leave a fantastic concert right before the band would be playing several of its greatest songs. But Mike was determined to get out while the roads were clear and to stay out of traffic. (Or maybe he was late to a hill-climbing event in his old Monte Carlo?)
Come to think of it, Mike died how he lived. Sure, he left earlier than any of us would have wanted him to, but you can bet he saw a clear road ahead. And if you take a look at what's happening in the world today, one could make the case that Mike wanted to get to those Pearly Gates before all the impending traffic the earth is sending that way. No doubt Mike just flashed that backstage pass a life-well lived earned him, and he's enjoying the show from an eternally improved perspective.
Goodbye, Mike! ... Till we rock again!
One of my favorite Michael stories involves a concert a couple decades ago at Park West in Park City. I believe it was the Scorpions (but it could have been Van Halen). Anyway, I had some of the first available seats on the grass hill, and as we were waiting for the show to start, Michael and one of his friends came strolling by as they were just arriving. We talked for a few minutes and then they continued on looking to find a different spot on the hill to watch the show.
Well, after the main set ended, and we were all on our feet yelling and screaming, waiting for the encores to start, who do I see, but Michael and his friend hurriedly rushing past us and heading for the exits. You'd have thought he just got paged by the fire department! I guess they wanted to make sure to beat the traffic. (Granted, getting out of Park West after a concert was a trial of endurance in itself -- but I had to shake my head at how anyone could leave a fantastic concert right before the band would be playing several of its greatest songs. But Mike was determined to get out while the roads were clear and to stay out of traffic. (Or maybe he was late to a hill-climbing event in his old Monte Carlo?)
Come to think of it, Mike died how he lived. Sure, he left earlier than any of us would have wanted him to, but you can bet he saw a clear road ahead. And if you take a look at what's happening in the world today, one could make the case that Mike wanted to get to those Pearly Gates before all the impending traffic the earth is sending that way. No doubt Mike just flashed that backstage pass a life-well lived earned him, and he's enjoying the show from an eternally improved perspective.
Goodbye, Mike! ... Till we rock again!
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
One of my most vivid memories with Mike occurred while we were on a deer hunt. Mike and I had teamed up at the start of the morning, and we were heading for high ground. I could see in the distance a pretty nasty storm coming our way and coming fast. I turned to signal Mike that it was probably best if we head down to safer ground. See at the time we were at about 9,000 feet up and in the middle of a massive granite field.....and we were both packing metal. Well Mike had decided it was time to move UP the mountain. Frankly, I panicked a bit, because Mike was one fast hiker. It took me awhile to catch up to him, and by the time I did, we were in the middle of a flat out thunderstorm. Lightening was literally popping all around, and we found a tilted slab of granite that we hid under for a couple of hours. We talked about our families, Alpine, school sports, music and just life. When the storm finally passed, we crawled out form under the rock, and made out way down the mountain. It was time well spent! Miss you Mike
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
I didn't know Mike the best, but whenever we would get together for family gatherings he was always so kind and always smiling and happy. I loved keeping up with his posts on Facebook to tell us to have a great night along side a picture of Godzilla. I'll miss seeing his smiling face at gatherings, and I strive to be more kind like him.
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
I have so many memories of trips from California to Alpine, Utah. I loved visiting family. Time with cousins was the best part of the trip. Michael was always willing to help come up with an idea for all of us to do.We put on shows, played at Alpine park, rode bikes, jumped on the trampoline, played hide and seek by the big pine tree and several times would sneak treats out of the pantry for our hideout. He was willing to play games, go horseback riding, or help get Uncle Theron tools for a car repair project. You helped to create wonderful memories for me.
Thank you cousin, for your fun, laughter, and concern for others.
May we all be more like you.
Thank you cousin, for your fun, laughter, and concern for others.
May we all be more like you.
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
As I have thought about Michael the past few days, the one thing that stood out the most about him was his unconditional love, his BIG heart and his infectious smile!!! Michael, we love you and look forward to the day when we will be be together again. Love you CUZ!!!
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
Mike will forever be part of the fabric of Alpine, he will be missed. Prayers to McGhie Family
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
Mike loved and honored people. I considered him to be a cherished friend. Whenever I did projects for the church and he was custodian, I would call him day or night and ask him to do something and without fail he dropped everything and came right then and with an attitude that it was just a joy to serve and do. In this way he was such an example to me, who would have whined about it. He actually made chores happy, though. I have been praying for Mike. I am glad his fight and pain are over. I love him.
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
"Now there's so much that time and memory fade away,
we got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take...
But we stood side by side, each one fightin' for the other,
and we said until we died we'd always be blood brothers."
-Bruce Springsteen
I'll try to honor your life by being kinder to others, like you were. Love you Michael. Your little brother always, Brent
we got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take...
But we stood side by side, each one fightin' for the other,
and we said until we died we'd always be blood brothers."
-Bruce Springsteen
I'll try to honor your life by being kinder to others, like you were. Love you Michael. Your little brother always, Brent
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March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020
I had the privilege of serving with Michael in South Carolina. He was one my most enjoyable companions to serve side by side with. Has it has been mentioned he always had smile on.
March 23, 2020
March 23, 2020
I had the privilege to work with Mike at RMC Property Services over the past few years. He instantly became a new good friend to all of us at RMC. We enjoyed cleaning yards and spraying yards/ homes together. He was a good worker and although I could tell he was often worn out and tired toward the end of the day, he never complained. However, we both agreed that it was good to see the end of some of those hard work days. Mike loved to talk about his family. He was very proud of all of them. He would occasionally get a special phone call from one of them and that was always the highlight of his day. He loved his family very much. One day while working with him he received a call from his brother informing him that he had a ticket for Mike to go see a professional sporting event. That was quite an exiting day. We talked about it for the rest of the week. Boy was he excited for that experience. Again, he loved his family and he knew they loved him. He had his priorities right. An example and lesson for which I am grateful . Mike I look forward to the day that we will be able to once again visit.
March 18, 2020
March 18, 2020
One of the things Mike and I loved to talk about was music. We share a great love for rock 'n' roll. In fact, the last interaction we had came a few weeks ago when Mike asked me if I knew when the new Pearl Jam album was coming out. I told him it was scheduled for release on March 27. He thanked me and signed off with, "Have a rocking day." I plan to take him up on that offer (and so do my neighbors) for as many days as I continue to walk this earth.
One of my favorite Michael stories involves a concert a couple decades ago at Park West in Park City. I believe it was the Scorpions (but it could have been Van Halen). Anyway, I had some of the first available seats on the grass hill, and as we were waiting for the show to start, Michael and one of his friends came strolling by as they were just arriving. We talked for a few minutes and then they continued on looking to find a different spot on the hill to watch the show.
Well, after the main set ended, and we were all on our feet yelling and screaming, waiting for the encores to start, who do I see, but Michael and his friend hurriedly rushing past us and heading for the exits. You'd have thought he just got paged by the fire department! I guess they wanted to make sure to beat the traffic. (Granted, getting out of Park West after a concert was a trial of endurance in itself -- but I had to shake my head at how anyone could leave a fantastic concert right before the band would be playing several of its greatest songs. But Mike was determined to get out while the roads were clear and to stay out of traffic. (Or maybe he was late to a hill-climbing event in his old Monte Carlo?)
Come to think of it, Mike died how he lived. Sure, he left earlier than any of us would have wanted him to, but you can bet he saw a clear road ahead. And if you take a look at what's happening in the world today, one could make the case that Mike wanted to get to those Pearly Gates before all the impending traffic the earth is sending that way. No doubt Mike just flashed that backstage pass a life-well lived earned him, and he's enjoying the show from an eternally improved perspective.
Goodbye, Mike! ... Till we rock again!
One of my favorite Michael stories involves a concert a couple decades ago at Park West in Park City. I believe it was the Scorpions (but it could have been Van Halen). Anyway, I had some of the first available seats on the grass hill, and as we were waiting for the show to start, Michael and one of his friends came strolling by as they were just arriving. We talked for a few minutes and then they continued on looking to find a different spot on the hill to watch the show.
Well, after the main set ended, and we were all on our feet yelling and screaming, waiting for the encores to start, who do I see, but Michael and his friend hurriedly rushing past us and heading for the exits. You'd have thought he just got paged by the fire department! I guess they wanted to make sure to beat the traffic. (Granted, getting out of Park West after a concert was a trial of endurance in itself -- but I had to shake my head at how anyone could leave a fantastic concert right before the band would be playing several of its greatest songs. But Mike was determined to get out while the roads were clear and to stay out of traffic. (Or maybe he was late to a hill-climbing event in his old Monte Carlo?)
Come to think of it, Mike died how he lived. Sure, he left earlier than any of us would have wanted him to, but you can bet he saw a clear road ahead. And if you take a look at what's happening in the world today, one could make the case that Mike wanted to get to those Pearly Gates before all the impending traffic the earth is sending that way. No doubt Mike just flashed that backstage pass a life-well lived earned him, and he's enjoying the show from an eternally improved perspective.
Goodbye, Mike! ... Till we rock again!
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