It is with great regret that we announce the death of our father, Michael Edward Carroll, at the age of 83.
Living life as a happy snowbird, his main landing spots were Battle Ground, Washington, Yuma, Arizona, and El Golfo, Mexico. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family in Springfield, Oregon on Nov. 26, 2022.
He was born to Chris and Marie Carroll in Butte, Montana where he was raised along with his three brothers: Maury, Lyle and James.
Mike was married to Joy for nine years and adopted her three children: Tammy, Bill and Raymond. Together they had a son, Michael Todd.
In 1979, he married Suzanne and they spent 38 adventurous years together before her passing in 2017. Suzanne had five children: Robert, Cindy, Paula, John and Janet. Altogether they had a total of nine children, 17 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, all whom he amazingly kept himself informed on. Our dad lived life to the fullest extent and family was very important to him.
He was so proud of his military career having spent a total of 30 years both active time and inactive service in the U.S. Navy, joining just two days after his 17th birthday in 1956. He started his career as an electrician's mate and retired as a chief petty officer. His favorite ship was the USS Nicholas.
After his service to our country, he spent 15 years starting up light rail services, twice in Portland and once in Denver.
He enjoyed restoring cars, of which there were many over the years, and the only car that he never owned that he really wanted was a ‘57 Chevy Nomad. He was also a member of the National Hot Rod Association for years and was a member of the Elks and Moose Lodges.
Our dad was quick witted and was always cracking jokes, rarely the same one twice. He was an avid Raiders fan and loved football. He rarely missed an episode of Jeopardy, which was his favorite show.
He traveled the world and all around the country while in the Navy, working as a civilian, and extensively in retirement. It always amazed us to hear that no matter where he was, the chance of him running into someone he knew was highly likely. His favorite place to spend time while in retirement was El Golfo, Mexico.
He spent the last three years with Juretta Wright in Springfield, Oregon. She brought joy and love back into his life. Juretta cared deeply for our dad and he truly cared deeply for her.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
