Michael J. Smith, Sr.

Mike passed away peacefully Feb. 24, 2016, at age 71, surrounded by loving family. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years (on 8-27-16), Mary; children, Moira (Joshua), Michael Jr. (Laura), Mark (Julie), Martin (Kristine) and Meggan (Justin); grandchildren, Justin, Geneva, Sarah, Michael III, Ashley, Nolen and Kaelyn; sisters, Julie (Bill) and Mary; plus loving sisters and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, other extended family and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Helen and Leo, plus brothers, Jack and Kevin.

Mike was born in Rockford, Ill. and enjoyed a rambunctious childhood filled with the requisite shenanigans of a good Irish lad. While he gave his parents and teachers holy hell, he was also a bright child who excelled in school and solicited his first job at age seven, packing potatoes at the local grocery.

With his siblings, Mike enjoyed summer visits to his aunt and uncle’s farm where he again got to work hard, play harder, and learned to boldly spin far-fetched blarney (all “100 percent true!”).

Mike’s smarts led him to Marquette University, where he earned an MBA and even better, met the love of his life. Mike recognized Mary as “the one” on first sight, but Mary took some convincing to get past his nerdy clothes.

His charm prevailed; Mike and Mary married in 1966 and settled in Milwaukee, Wis.

As children arrived, the couple became a family, “the seven M’s.” Mike was a dedicated, involved father. While setting high standards for his kids and transmitting his strong work ethic, he loved them deeply: playing with them, laughing with them, supporting their school and community involvement, plus always making time to encourage their individual interests and talents.

Family vacations featured camping, hiking and fishing, as Mike shared his love of the natural world.

Mike worked hard to provide for his family. His career took off from sales at Schlitz Brewery to top executive roles at First Wisconsin National Bank and Great Western Bank. Shifting into consulting, Mike moved the family to California and then Arizona, where he bought WestGroup Marketing Research and became a successful business owner.

The crowning achievement of Mike’s career involved developing the revolutionary software program ACquire; which, with his team, he marketed and sold to dozens of diverse and high-profile industries around the world. ACquire remains in broad use today.

Mike and Mary traveled together extensively in their later years; in addition to loving visits with widespread family now including grandchildren, favorite destinations included Hawaii, Colorado, California, Maine, Scotland, Ireland and the Czech Republic.

Reading fantasy novels with his grandkids inspired Mike to also write books in his retirement. Starting with no knowledge of the process, he diligently applied himself to learn the arts of writing and publishing. He became an award-winning author.

Mike’s books, including the Kevin Murphy series and the two Hounded editions, reflected his diverse interests in Irish folklore, family history, computers and faith.

Mike’s faith was pre-eminently important to him and was reflected in every aspect of his life. It helped him face serious compounding health issues in later life with courage and acceptance.

Everyone who knew Mike recognized his deep morality and solid Christian values. Mike generously, consistently strove to follow Jesus’ example to “love one another.” His longstanding involvement at church matured into deep exploration of the mysteries of God and the Cross.

Mike’s Mass of Resurrection will be held at Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills on Saturday, April 16, at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at Holy Redeemer Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, family suggests a donation to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 12615 N. Fountain Hills Blvd., Fountain Hills, AZ 85268, or to the National Parkinson Foundation, 200 SE 1st St. Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 or www.parkinson.org.