Mike's Obituary

Here is a link to the Parker Chronicle Obituary:

http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/parker/obituaries/article_fda0e11a-7bf3-11e0-89e5-001cc4c002e0.html

Dear Mike

5/12/2011

Dear Mike,

We were just watching American Idol the other night and Scotty sang our wedding song, “I Cross My Heart” by George Strait.   We both looked at each other with tears rolling down our cheeks and said, man that was the best day of our lives.  When we stated our vows on our wedding day, “In sickness and in health, until death do us part” we meant every word of it.  There was no doubt in my mind that we would be together for the rest of our lives.  I can remember vividly the first time you told me you loved me.  You said “I love you” with such certainty and conviction, you were only 17 years old, we had only been “going out” for 5 months, and I had no idea that you would know what the word LOVE meant.  I thought you were just a horny high school boy, with other things on your mind.  I remember looking right back at you and saying, “I like you a lot”.  Your heart sank, as the words were not returned at that moment in time.  After seeing the expression in your face and the words you put down on paper, I realized that you really did love me.  It took me another 6 months to finally return the words that you were longing to here, “I love you too”.  I remember when I said it back to you the first time you said, what did you say?  And I responded louder I love you too and your face lit up with excitement.  You knew what you wanted from the time you set eyes on me and you were going to do whatever it took to keep me in your arms forever!

You introduced me to a life that I would have never experienced, if I wouldn’t have met you.  I remember when your dad took me on your boat for the first time.  You and your dad were so excited to teach me how to fish.  You were going to show me how it was done.  Low and behold, I didn’t need any hand holding. Very first cast, “Got One” and I reeled it in by hand.  Who needs lessons and a fishing pole!  Along the way unfortunately we did experience a lot of grief and sadness, but those moments made our relationship stronger and we knew that we could get through anything together, that is what marriage is all about.  I sure wish more people in life would realize this, because marriage is something that you have to work at as a team, together, and forever!

We were able to experience so many wonderful things as a couple and I am so glad that we took the time to spend time together before we had children.  We were able to enjoy each other’s hobbies, travel to exotic places and learn what it was like to be married to the person that you will love forever!  Who is going to scare me now?  Who is going to put a panty hose over their head and wake me up, scaring the living daylights out of me, who is going to smush their face up against the shower door and scare the crap out of me, who is going to hide behind the car when I walk out of an Aurora Taco Bell and say, “Give me your Purse.”  Man, Makayla and Mikey have a lot of learning to do.  Hopefully you can give them some guidance along the way. 

You are the only man I have ever been with or wanted to be with.  My heart breaks to be without you.  You were my soul mate and we were going to grow old together.  You left me too soon.  We had so many plans in life.  We were going to experience them all together as a family.  You gave me the two most beautiful children that I could ever ask for and they will be constant reminders of the amazing man, father and husband that you were.  Your legend lives on in our children and I will never let them forget you.  I will remind them every day of their lives how much you loved them and what a great man their father was.  I will make sure our children endure in what you loved to do.  Their lives will be surrounded by loving people that loved you more than life itself.  They will be music fanatics and listen to songs over and over again.  They will play the piano and the guitar.  They will spend endless amounts of time on the boat fishing with your Uncle Dale and Uncle Steve.  Makayla says I now have to take her fishing, I am a little nervous, not about the fishing part, but putting the worm on the hook.  So, please give me the strength to overcome that.  They will be involved in sports, hopefully football and softball or whatever tickles their fancy.  I will make sure that Mikey D is a boy scout, so he learns the meaning of dedication and determination.  I know you will look down upon your children and will be very proud of them and I will make sure they know how very proud you would be of their success.

I look back now and realize that more than half of my life was spent loving you.  I felt you reach out to me the other night in my sleep and you grabbed my arm and said it is going to be okay.  I took a big sigh of relief in knowing you are still going to be watching over me and the kiddos.  Please keep sending me signs and guiding me through life, because I can’t get through this all alone.  

I know that you missed your mom and dad so much and your heart was breaking to feel their love and touch one more time.   You are now able to be up there in heaven with the both of them and no longer have to feel any more pain or suffering.  I am going to miss you dearly and will love you and cherish you for the rest of my life.  Someday I will see you again and I know you will be there greeting me with open arms.

Sweetie I love you, I am going to miss your soft touch, your clammy hands that I would hold at night, your warm sweaty forward that I would kiss, the top of your soft feet that I would play footsie with at night and saying I love you every night before we go to bed.  I guess Makayla is going to be playing footsie with me now!

Good men must die, but death cannot kill their name.

I love you more!

Your forever friend and love of your life,

Nat

“If there ever is a tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember.  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you”

                                                                -Winnie the Pooh

Some of you may not have known, but Mike was a poet back in the day.  Here is a poem that I would like to share with all of you, that he wrote to me when we fell in love.  I thought this was so appropriate at this moment, because this is how I feel.

Unsaid Words

My words they may sound familiar

Like ones you may have heard before

But when I tried to write you a love song

I simply could think of nothing more

I love you, I want you and I need you

I'd love to have you by my side

I love you, I want you and I need you

Your love gives my soul a place to hide

I've thought of different ways to tell you

Words however come up short

Of the way I really feel about you

Of the way you are always on my mind

How can I say it any different

The word they all mean the same

I love you, I want you and I need you

A rose is still a rose by another name

All is know is the thought of life without you

Is enough to make the strongest man cry

These words are said with great conviction

I know they will ring ture forever more

Love Mikey

Memories of Mikey Written By Natalie

I would like to start off by thanking each and every one of you for coming here today to honor my best friend, husband, soul mate and father of my two beautiful children.  I know he has been an integral part of our lives and he has touched a lot of people that he has met during his life journey.  Mike has left his footprint on this earth and he will never be replaced or forgotten.

Michael Douglas Odette II was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado at Penrose Hospital on May 18, 1977, to his very proud parents Michael and Susan Odette.  He was to be their only child and their pride and joy.  Mikey’s birth was certainly a revelation.  Due to Susan’s severe diabetes her pregnancy could have been troublesome, but much to their delight, a healthy bouncing baby boy entered the world.   I remember Mike’s mom saying he was such a good baby and was full of smiles and giggles.   Their little family was complete and they were never to be apart. 

The Odette family stayed in the Springs for a few years and during Mikey’s early years he spent a lot of time with his parents; grandparents; aunts and uncles, Sissy, Dale, Kenny and Patty; cousins, Leslie, Julie, Baby Kenny, Will and Nick; and many family friends.  Mikey grew a very close bond to his Grandparents, PO and Manga.  When Mikey started talking he tried to say Grandma, but instead Manga came out.  Everyone chuckled over Mikey’s pronunciation of Grandma, but to her dismay she was called Manga from that day forward by the entire family.  Even everyone that knew Mikey called her Manga.  Mikey didn’t have any other siblings, but he had his cousins close by, Will and Nick, the friendship and brotherhood that they shared was a bond that would last a lifetime.  They spent countless hours playing together and at every family event, the night would not end without a contest to see who was taller, Will or Mikey.  This seemed to be a serious event at the Sutton and Odette household, so serious that a level was taken out to make sure the measurements were taken fairly. 

At an early age Mikey’s parents introduced him to the outdoors, camping and fishing.  A lot of camping trips were taken up to the land where a future cabin would be built in Jefferson, Colorado.  These trips usually consisted of Mike Sr., Sue, Mikey, Dale, Sissy, Nick and Will.  Mikey grew to love the outdoors and this is what made him happy.

In 1983, Mike Senior found a job in the Phoenix area with Pulte homes and the close knit family made the move to Phoenix, Arizona.  Mikey grew up in a beautiful southwest ranch home complete with a pool and hottub, that backed up to the golf course.  They had two pets an Irish Setter, and a parakeet, named Pirky.  Mikey told many stories about Pirky.  Amazingly Pirky was more than their pet bird; he was part of the family.  Pirky enjoyed Friday nights, as much as the family did.  Mike senior would make homemade popcorn and Mike, Sue, MIkey and Pirky would sit down on the couch eat popcorn and watch Dallas and Falcon Crest.  One bite for Mikey, one bite for Pirky.   Mikey couldn’t wait until my kids were old enough, so we could buy a pet bird.

Mikey loved Arizona.  He made wonderful childhood friends like Jimmy Parker and Jason Hoffman.  He loved to play basketball with all the neighborhood kids, ride his bike and take fishing trips down to the neighborhood decorative pond, which had sunfish to be caught.  Everyone that knew Mikey knew he was a nervous person and worried about everything, but I do believe he inherited this gene, so he came by it honestly.  Mike would tell me a story about him and Jimmy Parker riding their bikes back from the pond one day and Mikey hit a patch of sand and fell off of his bike.  Mikey scratched his face along the pavement, but was told by Jimmy Parker, your face looks fine, no worries.  The whole way home Mikey kept asking Jimmy, are you sure my face looks okay?  And his eyes were open wide with disbelief, “oh yes, it is fine, don’t worry!”  So, when they arrived home, Sue comes outside to greet them and she screams, “Oh my gosh, don’t look at your face!”  Needless to say, Mikey was scared from this day forward.   

In Phoenix, Mikey was blessed to be around the Odette side of the family, Grandpa Doug, Grammy Mart and his aunts and uncle, Sally, Paula, Jacque, Terese, and Dougy.  He grew a close bond to his cousins Ryan and Craig during this time in his life and spent many family barbeques together.

During Mikey’s Elementary and Junior High years he started playing his absolute love, football.  He started in Pop warner football and his dad was one of his coaches.  He started in the position of center and then is where he learned his signature “Three Point Stance.”  He also was an avid Boy Scout, where he was able to endure his love for the outdoors and learn community and survival skills that he would be able to use the rest of his life.

During Junior High in 1991, Mikey’s father transferred to the Denver/Parker area with Pulte Homes .  Mikey entered eighth grade at Parker Junior High.  He was a tall, skinny handsome boy looking to make friends and excel in sports.  This is where he met one of his lifelong best friends, Neil Parker.  Neil remembers one of his first encounters with Mikey at school.  They were in home room together and  Mikey thought he would start his famous prankster career.  He snuck up behind Neil with tiny jumper cables in hand.  He said, “Don’t Move, “ Neil moved and Mike proceeded to clasp the alligator clip to his ear lobe.   This was only the beginning…..  In junior high, Mikey continued football, and continued to grow bigger and stronger.  He was quickly becoming a tall, well built, offensive lineman. 

As always, the camping and fishing trips, continued in Colorado.  Mikey became part of the annual Memorial Day fishing trips with lifelong friends and family, that included his father, Larry Fennell, Uncle Dale, and Art to Sanchez Reservoir.  Mikey soon became one of the guys who always caught fish, an omen that he would become an excellent fisherman.  Mikey’s favorite saying in the boat became, “Got one”, which usually meant he didn’t have one and got all of our attention and a good laugh at our reactions.   He was also known for coming home with an award that was given every year, and I was lucky enough to have it hanging in my garage for a few years.  The name of the award will be with held, but you crazy guys out there know what I am talking about.

Mikey attended Ponderosa High School in Parker Colorado, where he played football and added to his many friendships.  This is where he met his friends for life Jared Arthur, Luke Adams, Steve Schwandt, Nate Snell and Bud Garner.   Playing football definitely helped Mikey expand in this area.  His freshman year he played in his first varsity game and he was so proud.  Mikey made his mark as an outstanding blocking center and also a dependable long snapper.  He also played defense his Senior Year as a defensive end.  His biggest fans were his parents, Sue and Mike, who wore their maroon and gold to every game and cheered Mikey on.  They were so proud of their son.   Mikey earned various all league awards for Football and also attained his Eagle Scout Honor in 1992 after a lot of determination, hard work and dedication.    

The most cherished moment in Mikey’s High School career was when he met me, his high school sweetheart and wife.  I was a sophomore and Mikey was a junior.  The first night we ever met was after a basketball game.  I went out with Mandy Masterson and Jared Arthur and we went to Village Inn to grab some dessert and there he was.  I had never seen Mikey before.  He was HOT!  I was wearing a sweatshirt and structure hat.  We headed to a haunted house and someone preceeded to move one of the curtains in the house and scared us all.  We took of running and Mike was right next to me and elbowed me right in the breast.  He felt so horrible and embarrassed!  I am sure he worried about that moment the rest of the night, imagine that.  I guess you could say it was love at first fright!   Ha, Ha! Mike and I went to every prom and dance together throughout our high school career.  I cheered him on at all of the football games and we fell head over heels for each other.  Mikey knew he loved me from the moment he met me.

After high school Mikey went off to Mesa State in Grand Junction and decided to walk on and play football there.  His roommate in college was his high school buddy Robby Clanton and they had some great times together.  A little too much fun!!  I thought I would intrude on some of the fun and decided I would follow him up there the next year.  College football was an eye opening experience for Mikey and he endured for two years.  Mikey earned college hours and eventually went to work, while I stayed in Grand Junction and earned my four year degree in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Mikey decided it was time to pop the big question.  This night was one of the best nights of all of our lives at The Winery in Grand Junction during my college graduation weekend.  Our family joined together as one and it was an amazing night!  We soon got married in 2001 in his father and mother’s backyard, in a beautiful and stunning ceremony attended by family and friends in Elizabeth, Colorado.   The father-mother dance was special for Mikey, because his mother was confined to a wheel chair at this time.  They both sat on the dance floor and hugged and reminisced about life and their futures and listened to “Sunshine on My Shoulders” by John Denver.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the place!  Later in life Mike got a tattoo on his shoulder of a sun that said “mom” inside to remind him every day of his mother.

After the wedding and honeymoon, we settled in Aurora before moving to Parker.  At this moment in our lives we were living large.  We were going to wait five years before we had children and we had all intentions of experiencing everything possible before that moment arrived.  We traveled to many places and went on yearly vacations with our best friends Neil and Kelly Parker.  We went to places like Hawaii, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Arizona, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and New Orleans.  We also took a vacation to Florida with our dear friends Steve and Danette Penrod.  And of course we did A LOT of camping, hiking and fishing!

In 2007, the time had come for us to settle down and we were blessed with the birth of our first child Makayla on April 19^th.  Mikey went to every doctor appointment with me and with his nervous voice would ask Dr. Saunders, is everything look okay, how is the heartbeat?  He was so worried and concerned, as all of you could imagine.  Needless to say, he was scared shitless!  I remember to this day the first thing that Mikey said when Makayla was born was, “Oh my gosh she looks exactly like me” and sure enough Makayla is a spitting image of her father.  Despite his nervousness Mikey was an amazing father and loved his “Baby Girl” with all his heart.  She loved to cuddle on daddy’s lap and snuggle in bed with him in the morning.  They were two peas in a pod! 

In 2008 Mikey was ready to move on from Construction and decided it was time to go back to school on his terms to earn his Bachelors Degree.  In the midst of trying to seek employment, be a devoted father, a loving husband, and a good friend, Mikey took night and online classes to attain his Bachelor’s Degree in Business with an Emphasis in Green Sustainable Energy Management.  He excelled in his adult life as a student.  He was trying to beat my GPA.  He would get so mad if he got a B on any assignments, he wanted to get all A’s and wouldn’t take anything less.  I would think to myself, who is this prestigious man that I married?  His potential for success was limitless!  This demonstrated to me the incredible strength that he has during all of the rough times that he endured in his life, he was going to succeed!

August 28^th 2009, baby number two.  You should have seen the look on Mike’s face when Dr. Saunders saw the little wee wee on the ultrasound screen.  He was truly amazed.  It was truly a boy, Michael Douglas Odette III.  He was going to have a baby boy to carry on the Odette name and play football with him.  I think he asked Dr. Saunders 10 times, so you are SURE it is a boy!  Our little guy has taken on the name of Mikey D, he is 19 months old and is already the spitting image of his father and has boundless energy.  Mikey already enjoyed playing ball with his daddy and would point up to our bedroom in the morning and say daddy, cause he couldn't wait for his daddy to wake up in the morning to play with him. 

You would never know that I did carry both of these children in my belly for 9 months, because they don’t look an ounce like me.  But now I guess this happened for a reason, so Mikey’s legacy can live on forever in his children, Makayla and Mikey D.  They will be constant reminders everyday of what a wonderful, caring, sensitive person their father was, that once graced our lives.

I would like to close with some words that come to mind when describing Mikey, I would love for you to share some words that come to your mind as well:  

Loving, Sensitive, Caring, A good hugger, A devoted and loving husband and father, a loving brother and son-in-law, A lifelong friend, fun loving, a devoted son and nephew, a fishing fanatic, a man with ethics and work ethic, An amazing sense of humor, An ongoing awesome and sometimes twisted prankster, lived for the thrill to trick people, loved music, beautiful smile and laugh, a worrier, a gentle giant, an athlete, a dedicated student, and BIG HEART!

  

How Can You Help?

If you would like to make a meal for the Odette family, please see the link to the food calendar:

http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=513c5333-699b-4ed5-9f6a-ebd02a222e9e

Thank you everyone for your generosity and support!

Danette Penrod

Remembering Mike's Smile

Odette Family Fund

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

The Odette Family Fund

Care of Bellco Credit Union

P.O. Box 17000

Denver, CO 80217-7000

Bellco Phone Number:  303-689-7800

If you do a wire transfer please indicate that this is a Savings Account.

Thank you everyone for your generosity and support!

Memorial Service

A memorial service to celebrate Mike's life will be held Thursday, May 12th.

The service will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the Villa Parker Cultural and Events Center.

10750 South Pine Drive

Parker, CO 80134

A reception will follow.