A native of Columbia City, Mike was a standout athlete for the Eagles football and track teams. Upon graduating from high school he enlisted into the Air Force, where he was mainly stationed in Duluth, Minnesota. After being offered a basketball scholarship to University of Minnesota Duluth after a pickup game between Duluth and his Air Force team, he declined because it was too cold in Minnesota, and headed back for Indiana. Mike worked for JO Mory for 26 years and was an extremely skilled electrician, plumber and carpenter. Mike could make anyone laugh with his sharp humor, told the best stories and had a contagious smile with a heart of gold. As a huge fan of the Chicago Bears, he was always glued to the TV on Sundays, but always predicted when the Bears would do something stupid that would cost them the game.