Michael James Webber

Mike was a smart, generous, empathetic man with a healthy (and frequently sarcastic) sense of humor. He found pleasure in many things, but he especially enjoyed fishing, going out with friends, playing his harmonicas with local bands, woodworking, and photography. He made friends easily and remained close with most of them for many years. His greatest enjoyment was spending time with his kids; he was tremendously proud of them and delighted in all their accomplishments.

Mike had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel. After graduating in 1971 from Apollo High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota, he hitchhiked to Georgetown, Colorado, where he lived for about two years. In December 1973 he enlisted in the U.S. Army, completed his basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and trained in Intelligence work at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, before being stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. (He used to say that the phrase “Military Intelligence” was an oxymoron.) After two years of service, he was honorably discharged in December 1975.

Between 1976 and 1980, Mike moved back and forth between Colorado and Minnesota and held a wide variety of interesting jobs that allowed him to experience life and meet people with whom he identified.

In January 1980, Mike went to work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation in southern Minnesota. Initially he worked on road crews and plowed snow during the winter months; within a few years he began working as a Driver’s License Examiner. In 2003 he transferred to Grand Rapids, primarily so he could enjoy better fishing on the weekends. He retired in April 2018.

Music was an important part of Mike’s life, and he was naturally talented with all kinds of wind instruments. He played clarinet in school, and while living in Colorado, he started playing the harmonica. He loved bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot, and ZZ Top, but he enjoyed good blues music most of all. He’d often find a bar where a local blues band was playing and would ask to sit in for a set. Typically the bands would ask him to sit in for the rest of the night because he was so good.

In addition to being musically inclined, Mike was quite artistic. He won several competitions in school with is cartoons and caricatures. His siblings have fond memories of the sketches he would include in his letters, including the time he avoided a rattlesnake while hiking in the Arizona desert.

Mike is survived by his children Michele (Thea Hildebrand), Kristine, and Matthew; mother, Inez; siblings Orbbie Keith II, Harold, and Susan; and cherished dog Hilde. He is preceded in death by his father, Orbbie Keith I.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/tucson-cremation for the Webber family.