Mike was born on Oct. 18, 1941 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene, Oregon. He passed away peacefully on Sept. 13, 2020 at his son’s home in Ridgefield, Washington, after being evacuated from his Walterville, Ore., home due to the Holiday Farm Fire. He was 78. His family was with him – Laurie, wife of 57 years, son Steve, his wife Kathi, daughter Stacie, her husband Jason Ray, and sister Pam. Mike has three grandchildren, Jayna & Luke Ray, and Huxley Fountain. They called him “Papa Moo” because they loved seeing the cows and horses he raised when they visited. He was a 1960 graduate of Springfield High School. He loved to fish and hunt, especially when he could ride his horse in eastern Oregon. He ran heavy equipment in the logging industry until he was forced to retire, just short of his millionth load of logs, in 2010 when he contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome. He is survived by his brothers Richard & Tom, and his sister Pam who was also one of his caregivers. Following Mike’s wishes, and due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, no service is planned at this time.
