MICHAEL MCNEILLY

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MICHAEL (MICKEY) MCNEILLY November 2, 1960 - August 30, 2015 It is with great sadness that we announce that Mickey; a wonderful and loving husband, father, son, son-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and friend to many, has passed away at the age of 54 suddenly after an extremely brief battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Rita; his sons Francis, Joseph and Walter; his dogs Finn and Banjo; his parents Mike and Ruby; his sisters Brigid and Kathleen; as well as many nieces and nephews. Mickey and Rita were best friends. They were fortunate to have over 25 years together happily married. Mickey always had bragging rights and would say that they had "zero fights". One of Mickey and Rita's greatest joys and accomplishments was raising three rowdy boys into grown men. Mickey loved to spend time with his family, he loved his job and he had several hobbies that he was an expert in, loved to play cards and games and would say that "it wasn't fair that you were beating him." Mickey was a musician, a painter and an avid cyclist; inspiration that he handed down to his family. Most recently, Mickey worked at T-Mobile in Bellevue and Bothell, Washington as well as Telect in Liberty Lake, Washington. Mickey was a family man. He was an outdoorsman and enjoyed going on hikes with his wife and sons. He was always trying something new; whether it would be food, hobby or simply a new way to act goofy. Mickey brought his family to live in places that were very exotic from the likes of his hometown, Winnipeg; from Ontario, to Texas to Washington state. No matter where Mickey went, that Canadian accent went with him; although he was very quick to point out that some relatives still say "ah geez eh". Mickey was an esteemed scholar. He earned his Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1983 followed by his Master's degree in electrical engineering in 1988 from the University of Manitoba. Turning over a new leaf, he decided to pursue music and grow out his hair to look like his mother. Then he changed his mind, cut his hair, shaved, and decided to pursue an MBA degree, and graduated in 2005 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (He liked to say that he was playing basketball in the NBA while he was in school). Mickey was proud to witness Francis graduate with his master's degree, Joseph accepted into a computer science program and Walter continue his passion for library science. Mickey was a chef. He loved making things from scratch, as well as using recipes that were passed down from a long line of McNeillys. When all of the clan would gather, he would cook for everybody and would love to do it. Mickey was a traveler. He saw many places in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. One trip took him to Northern Ireland with Rita and Francis to find the McNeilly ancestors, and found some MaNeillys as well. He determined that the headstone carver was likely not the most sober man in the world. Mickey was a musician. For many years he played the fiddle, bass, and trumpet loud enough to drown out 40 angry vocalists with microphones in the church choir. With his wife Rita, he taught his three sons to play piano. He also taught his sons that if they didn't practice, there would be consequences aka "yelling piano". Mickey was an athlete. He participated in triathlons as a young man. After retiring from triathlons, he continued bike riding excursions. He rode distances upwards of 150 to 200 miles. He had also lost 60 pounds from all of his cycling. Mickey was a comedian. He brought a unique style of humor using sharp wit, which would leave you laughing with your entire body. His humor also included teaching young nieces and nephews phrases such as "holy crap". Many will miss Mickey. But all that needs to be done to live on his legacy is listen to an Irish jig and dance, cook something new, travel to a new place, play an instrument, or even play practical jokes and say that somebody else in the room did it. A small prayer service will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church located on 304 S. Adams Road in Spokane Valley, Washington on September 4, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. A memorial service to be held in Winnipeg at a future date. If you wish to make a donation in his name consider the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in honour of his Uncle Walter or a national Cancer Society in honour of other relatives taken too soon by cancer.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 05, 2015