Lavern "Mike" Michael Eckles

Some people enter a room quietly. Mike Eckles was not one of them.

With a quick wit, a gift for storytelling, and the unmistakable confidence of a born salesman,

Mike had a way of making his presence known. He could command an audience, charm a stranger, and turn an ordinary conversation into an occasion worth remembering. He loved a good story, especially when he was the one telling it.

His story began in Kansas, where his childhood was spent moving between the family farm and ranch, between Dodge City and Wichita. Hard work wasn’t something to be discussed; it was simply a way of life. As a young man, he raised award-winning steers, broke horses, and developed an enduring appreciation for the American West.

Somewhere along the way, he also developed an eye for beautiful things.

What began as a modest interest in collecting grew into a lifelong passion for antiques, Western Americana, and vintage advertising. He was particularly drawn to the colorful and sometimes wonderfully outrageous advertising of the late 1800s and early 1900s, when beer and whiskey companies understood that beautiful women and imaginative artwork could sell just about anything.

Mike understood that philosophy better than most.

In the late 1970s, he traded the Kansas plains for Southern California, beginning a career in advertising sales with the Los Angeles Times. His first territory was none other than Rodeo Drive. One can only imagine what Beverly Hills thought when this confident Kansas cowboy arrived on the scene.

His natural charisma, business instincts, and extraordinary gift for communication carried him into marketing leadership. He rose to become a marketing director and later joined Osco/Sav-on Drugs, where he continued his successful career as a marketing executive. An eloquent and motivating public speaker, Mike possessed the rare ability to inspire an audience while thoroughly entertaining it.

In 2002, Mike retired from corporate life.

Apparently, nobody explained to him what retirement was supposed to mean.

Combining his lifelong passion for collecting with his legendary ability to sell ice cubes to Eskimos, Mike became an auctioneer. When his wife joined him in organizing his first major auction, a partnership began that would become one of the great adventures of their lives.

Together, they built one of the country’s most respected auction businesses specializing in antique advertising and Western Americana. From 2004 through 2020, they traveled throughout America, discovering remarkable collections, building lasting relationships, and bringing extraordinary pieces of history to auction.

The auction room was Mike’s stage, and he was unquestionably in his element.

With his quick wit, infectious enthusiasm, and unmistakable flair for showmanship, he could turn the sale of an ordinary object into an event. His auction team affectionately dubbed his signature expressions “Mike-isms.” Whether declaring, “No money here!” or challenging bidders with “Where are you going to get another one?” his colorful, sometimes wonderfully corny remarks became as much a part of the auction as the treasures crossing the block.

Those expressions became part of the vocabulary of the auctioneers who worked alongside him. Even today, hearing a familiar Mike-ism from another auctioneer is a reminder that his influence lives on, not only in the business he built, but in the people who shared his passion.

Mike may have put down the gavel, but his voice still echoes through the auction room.

The business demanded countless hours, long journeys across the country, and months spent assembling each sale. Yet it was a labor of love, built on shared determination, complementary talents, and a genuine passion for the collecting world.

And while Mike was a master of the auction room, life occasionally reminded him that even the most confident cowboy could be humbled.

When he first met the woman who would become his wife, he encountered something his Kansas upbringing hadn’t adequately prepared him for: a patch of ice. While carrying an antique showcase, he lost his footing and landed squarely on his backside. Thankfully, the showcase survived intact. His dignity was another matter. He scrambled to his feet, hoping she hadn’t witnessed the performance.

She had.

It was an unforgettable beginning to a partnership that would take them far beyond anything either might have imagined.

When the final auction gavel fell in 2020, Mike and his wife turned their attention to another shared passion: seeing the world.

Together, they explored more than 53 countries, discovering extraordinary landscapes, fascinating cultures, and unforgettable people along the way. Mike was forever searching for the next breathtaking vista, the next remarkable destination, and the next interesting conversation.

His curiosity was boundless, and his ability to make friends wherever he went was legendary.

He could strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and, within minutes, have a new friend and another story to tell.

Mike was the father of three children, Tim, Andy, and Mitch. He shared his time and talents through coaching soccer and volunteering in his community. He also experienced the profound loss of his daughter, Andy, to cancer.

Although his later years brought challenges that limited the active life he had always embraced, those challenges were never the measure of the man.

He was the cowboy who became a marketing executive, the executive who became an auctioneer, the collector who became a world traveler, and the storyteller who never ran out of stories.

Mike is survived by his wife and partner, Lori; his sons, Tim (Carole) and Mitch; his grandchildren, Brooke, Katie, Emmy, Megan, and Jeremy; his great-grandchildren; his nieces and nephews, Rhonda, Tim, and Randy; and his great-niece, Sammy.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Andy, and his sister, Phylis.

Those who knew Mike will remember his laughter, his quick wit, his unmistakable presence, and his remarkable enthusiasm for whatever might be waiting around the next corner.

He spent a lifetime appreciating beautiful things, but his greatest adventures were found in the places he explored, the people he met, and the memories he created along the way.

From the wide-open plains of Kansas to the far corners of the world, Mike was always looking toward the next horizon.

And what a remarkable journey it was.