Mike May

Michael "Mike" May was one of those rare people who made life feel fuller simply by stepping into it. He was funny and fearless, hardworking and loose-spirited, generous with his time, and almost impossible not to like. To his daughters he was the fun dad; to his friends he was the life of the party; to the people who depended on him, he was the man who did not wait around for things to happen—he made them happen.

Mike was born in Port Huron on February 10, 1971, when the country was still basking in the upbeat confidence of the moon-shot era, and Michigan life moved to the rhythms of factory work, frozen rinks, fast cars, and Great Lakes summers. It was a fitting time and place for a boy who would come to love speed, competition, open water, and the simple thrill of being outdoors.

Mike was especially close to his brother Robert, and the two of them were together so often that trouble was almost inevitable. They raced dirt bikes, played ice hockey, went to the beach, and roamed with friends through the kind of classic eastern Michigan childhood that feels, in memory, both sunlit and a little wild. Robert built the jumps and Mike launched right off them, and once, one of those flights ended with a concussion and a trip to the hospital. When the boys got in trouble at home, their mother washed their mouths out with soap, and they later joked that they had become “soap flavor” connoisseurs.

At home, Mike saw two steady models of adulthood: a mother who stayed home with the boys and a father who worked as a union electrician. His dad also had Corvettes and, in one unforgettable act of trust or mischief, let the boys drive the red one until they wore the tires right off it. Years later, daughter Lauren would drive a Corvette too, a family echo Mike surely appreciated as Corvette’s have been in the family since Mike and Robert were little.

By the time he graduated from Marysville High School, hockey had become far more than a pastime. The sport took him all over the country, first through high-level competition and then into semiprofessional and professional play. At Ferris State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business, he met Michelle, the "business chick," as he knew her before he truly knew her. Though they had grown up only about thirty minutes apart, college was what finally brought them together. Michelle spotted him in a local restaurant, approached him and asked if he was a football player. He said, “Try again (as he was a hockey player), then he said, "I know you… you’re the business chick," and from there a love story began.

Mike and Michelle built their relationship around the things that made them happiest: beaches, fun restaurants, travel, and boats. They enjoyed each other easily, as if they had been meant to meet all along, just on a slightly delayed schedule. Over the years, they made homes in Kalamazoo and on Florida’s Gulf Coast, with boats in both places, because the beach, sand, sun, and time on the water were not just hobbies to them - they were a way of life!

It was not long before their family grew. They welcomed their first daughter Lauren, followed by Ashley, and Mike embraced fatherhood with the same wholehearted energy he brought to everything else. Lauren was always a daddy’s girl, and both girls knew they were adored. McDonald’s was a special treat. With Dad, they could usually watch whatever TV shows they wanted. And if school ever had to call home, they quietly hoped it would be Mike who answered, not Mom. He had a way of turning discipline into mercy, trouble into a story, and an ordinary day into something memorable. People would later say to his daughters, with instant recognition and a smile, "Ooohh! You’re Mike May’s daughter!" There was pride in that.

After retiring from professional hockey, Mike stayed close to the rink coaching the Mattawan High School hockey team for 12 years. He truly shaped countless boys into young men and invested in their lives outside of hockey. He loved the game, but he also loved what it gave him - a chance to encourage, instruct, tease, and inspire. One family favorite story came from the time he was babysitting his daughters while coaching at the same time. He brought the girls to the game, parked them in the boys’ locker room with a stash of McDonald’s, and told them to wait for him. They did what children in a hockey locker room might do when left unsupervised long enough: they started playing in the urinals. It was absurd, hilarious, and perfectly Mike—chaotic, trusting, funny, and destined to become family legend.

Mike was a present father in both the grand and ordinary ways. Ashley remembers her dad pool-launching the girls into the deep end, throwing them as high and far as he could while they came back laughing and shouting, "Again! Again!" He cooked breakfast every Saturday and Sunday - pancake eggs and sausage and was known for making an excellent steak at dinner. He loved seeing his daughters follow their own ambitions, too. When Lauren moved to Las Vegas for a year at 18 to become a dancer, Mike surprised her by driving her and his niece Payton all the way there himself. On the way they stopped in Colorado, turning the trip into an adventure with whitewater rafting and ziplining. Ashley pursued theater and public speaking and loved skiing with her dad as well. As a family, the May’s made memories in Colorado, Florida, West Virginia, Las Vegas, and beyond. Annual trips to Florida were a Spring Break tradition and an opportunity to connect with extended family.

Mike’s life off the ice was shaped by the same determination that defined his sports career. He had a strong work ethic, and a few sayings that explained exactly how he moved through the world: "Don’t expect anything, make it happen." "Hard work always pays off." And, delivered with the grin of a man who had done some living, "If you’re dumb enough to do it, be smart enough not to get caught." Michael worked for State Farm starting in claims, he entered the insurance business through Michelle’s family. He loved his time on the road in Saginaw. He moved to a claims office in Kalamazoo where he was eventually able to go into business for himself and become a State Farm Agent right here in Kalamazoo.

Golf was also a huge part of his life, and he played every chance he got. Annual golf trips with his buddies were something Mike looked forward to and he truly cherished those memories and adventures. He was notorious for popping his feet up on his desk at around 3:10 and asking, "Is it time to go?" What he meant was, was it time to go play a round of golf – not was it time to go home.

More than anything, Mike was dependable. If someone casually mentioned they needed a garden hose, he would go get one and show up with it. If Ashley’s front yard needed help, he might just reseed the whole thing because it needed doing. He was the kind of husband, father, brother, and friend who took care of the people around him not with speeches, but with action. Family described him as the sort of man who could always be counted on, an "acts of service" kind of guy who found a way to make things happen for the people he loved.

Mike also loved being a “Papa” and was so excited to have another granddaughter on the way. He was excited to teach his granddaughter Wilder how to golf. When Papa would watch Wilder, it was their morning tradition to grind up the coffee beans, smell them, and make the coffee. When Wilder would give him kisses, he would pat his chest and say, “that warms my heart,” a little ritual they did every time they said goodbye.

Michael "Mike" May died on March 30, 2026, leaving behind a family that adored him. He also leaves behind a circle of friends so large that his family suspects they may never have known its full size. He will be remembered in a thousand vivid snapshots: a red Corvette, a hockey rink, a golf course at 3:10 pm, breakfast griddle on a weekend morning. And his memory is a reminder to everyone lucky enough to know him that life is meant to be lived with energy, generosity, love and joy.

Mike was born February 10, 1971, in Port Huron, Michigan to Walter and Rolanda (Vanpoelvoorde) May. Mike was preceded in death by his parents. Surviving is his wife, Michelle; children: Lauren (Natalie) Sikkenga and Ashley May (Alec Schlotterback); granddaughter: Wilder Sikkenga and one granddaughter Monroe Sikkenga on the way; sibling: Robert (Amy) May; nieces: Payton (Seth) Lewis and Olivia May and her fiancé Austin DeBuck; mother-in-law: Susan Wilder; brother-in-law: Andrew Wilder.

Please join us for a Life Story Visitation on Friday, April 17, from 5-7 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900 where food, drinks, and stories can be shared. Celebrate Mike’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on his dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. Memorial contributions may be made to The Family of Mike May c/o Michelle May.