I want to first thank all of you for being here today and showing your respects to Michael and his family. Your love and support now and over the past couple of weeks has helped us in making it through this difficult time.

Michael was a loving, giving and simple man who always put others before himself. Michael was always the first one to offer help to you if he thought you needed it. His unselfish ways made him a special person.  The relationships that we all had with Michael were unique on their own. Michael made sure that you felt important as an individual and always guided you to look to the brighter side of any situation.

Michael experienced more in his lifetime then many of us have or ever will. Even though Michael has left us as a young man, he made the most of his life in meeting new people and going to new places. There wasn’t a situation where Michael didn’t know who was in the room. He made it a point in meeting everyone and getting to know about them. He was a true friend to all of us. His kindness and caring about people was probably one of his greatest qualities.

We all know that Michael loved children. For our family, Michael made every attempt to be present at our daughter’s baptisms, communions, confirmations and graduations. He truly cared about their faith and the path of life that they were leading.

Even though Michael had not always been in the best physical condition, he still went horseback riding on Christmas with Nichole, watched Danielle’s ice skating performances and listened intently to Taylor playing the piano.

This past Easter, Michael spent the day at our house where he sat in the backyard all day and watch all the kids play volleyball, bad mitten and catch.  This was the happiest that I’d have ever seen Michael sine I had know him, which is almost 20 years.  Nichole, Danielle and Taylor were his pride and joy in life.  If you knew Michael, then you probably knew our daughters. They were his grand children. This past summer in Catalina, the girls got Michael a tee shirt with their names and pictures on the front of it. He wore it like any proud grand father would.

There wasn’t anything in this world that Michael wouldn’t have done for my mother-in-law Marilyn (Smitty). Michael loved my mother-in-law and treated her with the mutual respect that they had for each other.  They traveled, sailed, flew and lived life to the fullest. They were lucky to have met 25 years ago and stayed together ever since, through thick and thin.

Boating was one of Michaels’ passions, spending most of the year in San Diego.  There his friendships grew and his giving continued. Everyone on the docks knew who Michael (Floater) was. You couldn’t get down the dock without passing his boat, Michael would call your name to come over to his boat where he would say, “have a seat, can I get you anything”.

Michael has made friends all over the world, from the Scottsdale Glass Door, the Pink Pony, Ramada Inn, to Hawaii and as far as Hong Kong. If Michael was there then he introduced himself and got to know you and called you his friend.

Now that there will be no more trips to Ralph’s, Drinks on the dock, dinners at Arrivaderci’s, 4th of July parties or trips around the world, I ask that when you visit these places, you think of Michael and say a prayer for him, because he would do that for anyone of us.

Michael, may your soul be in the presence of our Lord with peace, harmony and joy.

Thank you and God bless you.