Aaron Savage
As a boy who grew up without a father until my stepdad came along, I appreciated Mike a great deal. He was one of a number of men in my life like Dave and my Uncles Elmer and Mike who taught me skills I still use today. The number of things he knew how to do and how to do well always impressed me. I remember building the walls of a house in his garage. He laid out the top and bottom plates from a print of the house with a pencil and a speed square. Chad, Mikey, and I assembled them. When the trailer of walls made it to the jobsite, they came off the trailer in order, ready to stand in place. Amazing! If a piece of equipment he needed for the job broke, he fixed it. If he didn't know how, he figured it out. Mike knew all kinds of stuff about all kinds of stuff. He didn't brag about it. He didn't make a big deal about it. He just did it. He once asked me if I could help him with a boiler that wouldn't fire up. I told him I didn't know anything about boilers. He told me I knew about electricity and I should grab my meter and get in the truck. With a diagram and a description of the problem, I found the issue and adjusted the wiring connections. We had the boiler going in no time. That's who Mike was. He didn't ask for praise. He didn't give much praise, but he always had confidence in you that you could figure it out just like he would. For that, I will be forever grateful. I valued his friendship and the time I spent with him. When I'm doing a project that just isn't working like I want it to, I will remember the confidence he had in me and know that I can complete it. Mike, you will be missed but always in my memory.