Michael Drew McGhie, beloved son, brother, uncle and friend passed away peacefully on March 13, 2020 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born November 27, 1962 in Salt Lake City to Jerry and Marilyn Fox McGhie. He was the 3rd of 8 children.
When Michael was 2 years old, his family moved to Alpine, where he grew up doing all of the fun things Alpine boys did. He played little league baseball, basketball, was on the swim team, went camping, hunting and fishing with his dad and brothers. He rode his bike all over town, played in the creek, went to Sliding Rock in the summers, then went sledding on cemetery hill and the power house road in the winters. He attended American Heritage and Alpine Elementary schools.
As a teenager he attended American Fork Jr. High and American Fork High School. He earned his Eagle Scout Award. He played city basketball and soccer and became a lifelong fan of Rock and Roll, Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.
After high school he attended UVU for a short time and then served a mission in South Carolina Columbia. He was a dedicated missionary whose letters hold the all-time record for length. They were usually 2 sentences long, letting us know that all was going good for him. He has been a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life.
Michael became a firefighter for Alpine City and it was one of the great loves of his life. He loved fighting fires and cherished the friendships he made at the fire station. He also enjoyed playing softball on the city team.
Mike worked as a custodian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was on a bowling team with his co-workers. He worked at a warehouse, also as a delivery driver and as a landscaper. He was a hard worker and was working outdoors up until his cancer diagnosis. After work and on weekends, he loved going to Denny’s or IHOP and made many friends with servers there.
Michael was an avid reader of Louis L’Amour and William Johnstone western novels. You could usually find him reading with his headphones on as he listened to rock music. He has a collection of almost 500 rock cds and the last song queued up in his headphones was Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” He also had an impressive collection of Godzilla movies, baseball cards, and a variety of hats. Mike loved doing Word Search and played Jewel continually on the ipad.
Michael loved sports and that’s the one time you could get him into an animated conversation. His BYU Cougars were at the top of the list and even when he was weak this winter, he attended a few basketball games. He attended most football games for the last 10 years, and many basketball and volleyball games. He always knew what color we were supposed to wear to the games as he followed the teams on Facebook.
He also loved the Mariners and Seahawks and has been a loyal fan for over 40 years. He was able to attend a Seahawks game in Seattle with his family in December where he got to meet famous players, the mascot, and sit in the CenturyLink Box. It was one of the best experiences of his life.
Lake Powell was Mike’s “happy place.” He went as a boy and as an adult with the same excitement. He looked forward to his annual trip to Lake Powell all year long. While there, he loved to jet ski, read, and swim with his family in the cave. He was always extremely helpful unloading and loading the houseboat. He enjoyed boating, hanging out with the family, eating treats, and was always happy when he was at Powell.
Mike was a friend to all. He loved everyone instantly and didn’t judge anyone. He has 700 friends on Facebook who he seemed to know personally. He would send personal messages and could update the family on anybody who had ever lived in Alpine, attended high school with him, or was a member of the extended family, including 4th cousins.
But most of all he loved his family. He loved being at family gatherings and could talk endlessly about sports. He loved his nieces and nephews and always gave them gifts at Christmastime. He will be remembered as being kind and cheerful. At the end of his life (and throughout his life) when things were the toughest, we would ask, “How are you?” His reply would always be, “Not too bad.”
Michael was a light in our lives. He didn’t complain, even at the end of his life. He will be sorely missed, but we are glad he’s where he can be whole. We know he’s doing a great work and our loss is Heaven’s gain. We love you, Mike, and look forward to being with you again.
Michael is survived by his parents Jerry and Marilyn Fox McGhie and his siblings Kristen Shelley (Robert), Marty (Carrie), Brent (Julie), Steven (Jaime), Jeff (Josie), Lisa Lamb (Rob), Matt (Steffani) and many loving nieces and nephews.