[PONTIAC DUDE]

R.I.P. my friend. Met him at Norwalk and always in contact thru PM's and e-mails. The good always seem to die young.

Wishes from the Keefer clan here in Florida to the family. Ken, Karen and Danee'

[Deadhead]

I toasted him with some elixir from the batch Jay and I brought up to him a couple months ago. I hoped he had enjoyed a taste during his last days as much as I enjoyed it last night in his memory.

I can see him kicking back with a contented smile. Now that all the BS of the last few years is OVER he can relax and drive a big 'un for eternity.

I know he'll be in the seat with me when I am jamming the '66 into the turns and telling me to leave it alone when I am contemplating fixing something that does not need it.

He lives on through the knowledge and memories he gave to all of us, which is a good thing b/c they ain't makin' them like this anymore.

[PONTIAC LARRY]

Rest in Peace Mike, I never met you but you were my go to guy for Moderator help and your dearly missed. I pray the Lord will make a way for your family to get thru this and prosper in their lives. Strangely I had just had a small shot of 190 proof Everclear (which I never had bought before) yesterday right before getting a text from Engine-Ear that he had just had a shot of Crown himself to toast the life and the news oh his passing. Cheers to Mike !

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by Lightfoot

Hoosierland lost a good man.
My condolences to his family.

X 2. This is unbelievable.

[Region Warrior]

Godspeed Mike.

[tigergto]

RIP Mike and heartfelt condolences to the family. I don't mean to sound harsh but after watching my parents and some close friends suffer while battling this dreaded illness it is a blessing for Mike and his family that he passed quickly.

[Don Keefe]

I just got off the phone with Mike's son Tray and he wanted me to thank everyone on his behalf for all of the prayers and thoughts. He is having a tough time, as you would imagine and he is grateful for the outpouring of love and support for his dad..

[2002Z4CSS]

May he rest in peace. Prayers for his family and friends.

[Jerry H.]

I got the news yesterday afternoon via Facebook, and like many others it just brought a sick feeling all over me. I just felt like something was 'missing' for the rest of the day. It wasn't until this afternoon that I realized that I hadn't logged on to PY yesterday, and that's something I usually do EVERY day.

My first impression is to say 'RIP Mike', but then there will be no resting in Pontiac Heaven with Mike there. He'll be raising he!! and keeping sh!t stirred up all the time! I loved big Mike and am going to miss him. Hope I'll be able to catch up with him a little later on.

[fng69]

RIP Pontiac Mike!! Condolences to the family!!

[2manyponchos]

Mike's viewing is Sunday April 6th from 12 to 4 and the funeral is Monday the 7th starting at 11am.

Baird-Freeman Funeral Home
221 N Meridian St
Portland, IN 47371

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by herdswoman

Truer words were never spoken! Why are real people so hard to find? Maybe it's the fake ones that get so damn offended so easily? Dear God, I loved that man - remember the PY BBQ from several years ago, we sat in lawn chairs, told stories, people watched, and laughed and laughed and laughed. Mike could spot a poser a mile away and had a memory like an elephant.

Mike set an amazing example for all of us that were fortunate enough to see him in his last weeks. He was in more pain than he ever let on. The truth? The abdominal tumors were multiplying amazingly, frighteningly fast, generating swelling and 2-4 liters of fluid in the abdomen per day. The Sunday morning after the Eastern Pontiac contingent went home (Don Keefe, et al.), Mike told me he felt the cartilage separate from his ribs from the pressure - and still he received visitors, still stayed positive. He DESPISED the hospice folks; their care was less than...proactive is a nice word. (Meaning, the positive attitude was not the result of good pain control via narcotics since hospice's dose was less than his hospital dose.) Mike learned the inevitable diagnosis, got his affairs in order in efficient, speedy Nixon manner, and concentrated on filling his home with positive energy. He married the love of his life, and developed a plan to care for her and his boys.

In short, he made the minutes count.

Mike's posted here before about the ghosts of family that inhabit the old homestead where he lived, was married, and died. Scroll back to the picture of Mike's marriage. I see at least five orbs there, and I was standing just to the right of the photographer. There was no dust floating in that room, no cold spots, just lots of warmth and friends and family. The Nixon property goes back to a 1832 land grant; with many generations of Nixons there, in the comfortable old house made of native black walnut with oak trim.

I'll be waiting for your visit, Mike.

Beautiful words, Amy. I was glad I made the trip to visit with him one last time. I kind of felt a little bad Saturday night when we left, since it was just after 11:30pm when Misus looked at me and pointed at his wristwatch. We were all having such a good time in his presence, sharing stories, and listening to him talk of his youth with his father, the head butting they did when he was a teenager, the cars they built, etc. that we let the time slip by, not realizing how late it was getting. Mike certainly didn't let on that we were probably keeping him up way past his bedtime, his stamina was remarkable.

You talk of orbs in the room. There's a "spec" on the photo I took that appears to be above the girls heads, and I can't make heads or tails if it was something on the lense or something in the room. I'm leaning to the latter, because none of the pics I took before or after are "marred" in that spot on the lense, nor was there any funky flashback from the flash.

Mike was "my kind of people"...a straight shooter who was quick to a tell a friend their face was dirty, who never bulls***ted anyone. Some of his last words to me were that friends and family are what counts, and all the rest is just bulls***. His passing has furhter cemented those words in my brain. See you on the other side, brother.

[KS circutguy]

Rest in peace. Prayers for his family and friends.

[goatmanmitch]

Originally Posted by The Boss

We should all be so lucky to be remembered like this.

Well said.

Originally Posted by Rustie

If it was going to end badly,at least it ended quickly.

Without knowing many details previously, this seems to be a blessing of sorts.

[JLHarper]

I remember Mike as one of a small group of naturally gifted Pontiac members (on PY) that possessed the rare ability to retain "all things" Pontiac mechanical, including specs and part info which he unselfishly shared with others.

International Harvester was another I recall.

My condolences to his family.

[Kurt Zimmerman]

I was extremely fortunate to be able to chat with Mike last Thursday and meet his amazing wife, who faced the end of Mike's earthly life just as unflinchingly as Mike did.

She never wavered, never complained, never quit.

Mike chose his wife, his life and his friends wisely.

He left us in the blink of an eye, but how he lived will be well remembered.

I can't wait to see that unappreciated prick again.

Kurt

[GTOLIB]

My condolences to everyone.

[David Holmberg]

Originally Posted by Kurt Zimmerman

I was extremely fortunate to be able to chat with Mike last Thursday and meet his amazing wife, who faced the end of Mike's earthly life just as unflinchingly as Mike did.

She never wavered, never complained, never quit.

Mike chose his wife, his life and his friends wisely.

He left us in the blink of an eye, but how he lived will be well remembered.

I can't wait to see that unappreciated prick again.

Kurt

Hear, hear...

[herdswoman]

Originally Posted by Brian Baker

. Mike certainly didn't let on that we were probably keeping him up way past his bedtime, his stamina was remarkable.

You talk of orbs in the room. There's a "spec" on the photo I took that appears to be above the girls heads, and I can't make heads or tails if it was something on the lense or something in the room. I'm leaning to the latter, because none of the pics I took before or after are "marred" in that spot on the lense, nor was there any funky flashback from the flash.

Mike loved having all of you there, as long as you were there. He liked drifting off the sound of good conversation, and then drifting back to wakefulness. Don't ever regret or feel badly about one second of your stay. Remember when Matt (EngineEar) was well into the "conversation oil" and got to going on about California black plates? We all thought Mike was asleep and he spun his hand 'round to get Matt to speed it up! (Earlier in the day, I told Mike to rest, get some sleep, and got a minor ass chewing for it. He set me straight that he liked hearing people talk....like it was his favorite white noise).

Mike was also prone to insomnia, as am I. We'd often find each other on FB at 2-4 a.m. and he'd tell me all kind of stories about the homestead: apparitions of ancestors, some of whom he had figured out who they were as they were regular visitors. I see several orbs in that photo, the obvious one, one by Mike, and several other faint ones that appear to be in motion. As Mike would say "All part of living in the old family homestead".

I wish I could be with everyone on Sunday and Monday, but I will be heading in the opposite direction, to Johns Hopkins. I'm the driver of the adventure, so we have to leave on time. My heart just isn't in it quite as much.

[boltbuster]

I will remember Mike's family in my prayers. I'm so sorry for your loss, a loss shared by many folks on the list. I'm glad that Mike could make his exit fueled by all of the love and good vibes shared in personal and on line.