Storke Funeral Home Obituaries

I've had the pleasure of working with and being friends with Michael since we all started at Capital One in the TOC. Michael's amazing sense of humor was only matched by his intelligence and strength to get through the most challenging issues that we faced. When we were in the office Michael, Todd and myself would crack jokes, funny stories and lots of memes, especially Futurama jokes and references. He was always able to lend a helping hand when times were tough and we were stressed out. He truly cared when he would ask how your day was going. When there was a problem he'd work through it even if it took many weeks of follow up and was great and documenting the updates to help everyone out. When we all left the office to work at home, Michael and I met up in person quite a few times. It was wonderful having a beer with him and not talking about work but just life in general and giving him some Futurama figures for his office at home. I am very blessed to have Michael in my life as a wonderful friend. He was so proud of Emily and his children. He would talk so highly of them all of the time. His love for his family shined through in his work to make their lives better. His life touched us all in many ways. Our thoughts and prayers are with Emily, the children and his countless friends as we reflect on the wonderful times we all had together. He truly will be missed.

Mike and I had always shared a unique friendship. From the day he joined the Incident Management group in the TOC he and I would notoriously crack jokes and laugh about nonsense things in video games, the work we were doing, or even our wives putting boxes on top of the trash instead of breaking them down. It didn’t matter where our conversations went, we would just cut up on the spot and it made the job more enjoyable. “GOOD MORNING WILL” he would say very loudly at 6am sharp while we all drudged in to validate changes on Sundays. I hated it and he would laugh because he knew I was not a morning person. But we would always find ways to troll each other. I would do things like discombobulate his desk before he logged in just to set him off, or he would set off on a multi month “long troll” to drive me insane by drawing things on a lego mug on my desk and never tell me it was him. I had left Capital One for well over a year before he ever told me it was him. It was quite possibly one of the most harmless yet funny pranks anyone had ever done to me and I still tell people about it well after leaving the company 2 years later. Mike was one of the most intelligent people I knew. I could never outsmart him when it came to anything around finance or IT or the “horrors of pre ordering video games”. He was stalwart in his beliefs and would always be truthful no matter how unsettling it was at the time. I grew to appreciate his directness and today I try to emulate some level of that. @Emily, words cannot express how sorry I was to hear of Mike's passing. He would always talk about how everything he did was for you and your children. There is no doubt in my mind that you, Graham and Natalie were the reasons that man tried so hard each and every day to better himself. I hope that in time your family can learn to cope, mourn and hopefully heal. Mike's passing will unquestionably leave a scar on your family. But scars close and they are a reminder of what once was but not always what will be.

On behalf of our entire team, please accept our deepest sympathies. Michael was a brilliant and empathetic individual who never hesitated to ask the right questions even when it was in difficult challenging circumstances. He cared very deeply for his coworker’s well being and it was truly a pleasure seeing him bring his best to everything that he did. I remember him stating this in one of our meetings "I do my best and bring the best me I can to each day", that was the kind of person I will always remember him to be. He has left a huge void in our hearts and we wanted you and your family to know that our thoughts are with you and we are wishing you courage and peace during this difficult time.

Thank you Emily and to the rest of your family for the time Michael shared with us on our Team here at Capital One. His smile was infectious. He didn't shy away from asking questions, seeking understanding or having conversations making small talk to catch up. He was his authentic self. He spoke his mind and sought clarity, which I appreciated seeing from him. He started here at Capital One when I was still new myself back in 2017'ish. He was standing up with his peers a WHOLE NEW team to take on new work him & his team was being introduced too. That can be demanding at times... but during that time he made time for me teaching me things along the way to help me with new work I was being introduced in to. That continued throughout his years working with him. That is the type of husband and father he was, making time for others. Our hearts break with you and the rest of this family and Michael will be truly missed <3

I worked with Michael for several years in the TOC at Capital One. Michael was super smart and did an awesome job at responding to issues that arose. Michael always had a smile on his face, which I needed to see, I often did not, so he was uplifting. What I most remember was the quick, witty remarks he had for almost any situation to make things a little lighter in a sometimes stressful environment. My deepest sympathy, Liz Phillips

Michael was someone who welcomed me onto the team during a turbulent time in my life and the world as a whole. His warmth, good humor, and authentic personality put me at ease. He was always ready to put whatever he was doing on hold to help me when I reached out, and I can only hope to honor his memory going forward by helping others the way he helped me.

It doesn’t seem real this happened, nor does it make sense to me and probably many others. Mike became one of my best buds over the last few years and we would joke and laugh almost on a daily basis. Was always hilarious chatting with him after work in the front yard with us both trying to be serious after we just sent funny memes to each other all day long. A lot of great memories with this guy. It’s important that we stay strong for the kids as this will be a tough road to travel for a while. Our family is going to be right next to yours helping you get down that road. I’ve had to travel it myself several times and I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but I can assure you everything will be okay in time, just as Mike would want. Don’t stress or worry, you got this ?

Oh, Emily, I saw your post on Facebook and can't believe it. My heart goes out to you. You may remember, I too lost the love of my life at age 30 and I ache knowing your difficult days ahead. On the darkest ones remember God loves you and He can get you through. Please keep in touch. James 1:5 .

Buddy and I are heartbroken for you Emily and for your children. Michael was a wonderful husband and father. Your parents kept us updated through the years. May the Lord give you strength and favor as you grieve the loss of Michael and raise your children. We love you and will continue to pray for you.

I am truly sorry for you and your families loss. I worked with Michael at Capital One for the last 5 years and although our paths only crossed occasionally, I remember Michael as always being helpful and polite, he had a great sense of humor and his attitude was always positive. My last interaction with him was just a couple weeks ago during a farewell meeting for a former co-worker. Several other folks including myself sat and chatted with Michael for over an hour talking about past experiences at work, sharing funny stories and just hanging out. Michael will truly be missed.

So sad to hear of this. Michael was a wonderful teammate at The Free Lance-Star in our IT Support department. Always ready and willing to lend a helpful hand and to provide guidance for anyone who asked. He will be greatly missed. Heartfelt prayers to his family in this difficult time.

As a friend of the family, I pray you will find peace in knowing that Michael is with the Lord. I will continue to pray the Lord will give you strength to bare the pain and sorrow you are going through. Isaiah 41:10 Fear Not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will Help you, I will Uphold you with My righteous right hand.God is our refuge and strength. Love from Uncle Nick & Aunt Katy.