Mike McGuire died in Athens, Greece

Mike McGuire died in Athens, Greece on May 28, 2017

Our friend and classmate, Mike McGuire died last month. At the beginning of the month I got an email from David Hurd telling me that Bob McGeachie had died. Several days later he emailed me that Mike McGuire had died in Athens, Greece from a heart attack. 

Fred Peterson posted this comment about his friendship with Mike and it was so nice and personal I’m putting it here so you don’t miss it.

THIS COMMENT IS FROM FRED PETERSON, ANOTHER GREAT SWIMMER AND FRIEND OF MIKE McGUIRE.

I’m saddened to hear of Mike McGuire’s passing. Mike was an integral part of Auburn High School’s swimming team 1962-1964 as one who excelled in breast-stroke races and relays. Mike taught me how to swim it. Learning the breast-stroke was the most difficult stroke for me but Mike helped me master it. I was a long-distance freestyler so it was never my specialty….but Mike’s expertise helped me in teaching others how to do it….even to this day as the Masters Swim Coach at LifeTime Fitness in Schaumburg, IL.

Mike, the “redhead” was competitive, hard-working, very kind and was liked by all. It was so good to see him at Auburn’s 50th class reunion. I feel fortunate to have had him as a friend, teammate and mentor. Rest in peace, Mike!

Thank you, Fred. What a guy.  –Ken Nelson

I got in touch with Terry McGuire, Mike’s brother to get more information and the funeral service details.

Today I got that information.

Michael William McGuire–6/1/46 to 5/28/17.

Michael lived in Colorado, moving there from Rockford in 1982.  He worked as a mechanical engineer with various firms on projects ranging from nuclear power to wind power.  

He enjoyed blue grass music which was plentiful in Colorado.  Michael served in the U.S. Navy and completed three cruises on aircraft carriers in the South China Sea [Vietnam], stopping at many ports-of-call around the world and was proud to have crossed the Equator–twice–on aircraft carriers.  

He was married to Helle Sorensen.  He was proud to say that they were ‘canyon dwellers’, living ‘up Coal Creek Canyon’ above Golden, Colorado. Any visit to their house was ‘saluted’ with his potato cannon.  Michael and Helle enjoyed traveling the world together; Vietnam, Laos, Brazil, Namibia, Cameroon, Borneo, Denmark [Helle’s birthplace], and many, many other places around the world and throughout the U.S.  

It was on one such journey to Athens, Greece in May, 2017, that Michael died.  

He is survived  by his wife, Helle,  his son, Matthew and two grandchildren; brother, Terry and nephew Kieran; many cousins and many more friends.  A small, private celebration of his life will be held July 8, 2017.

Here’s what I was able to get from our old yearbooks. If anyone would like to write something about Mike, please send me an email. Thank you.

Above is Mike McGuire’s senior year, yearbook picture. It’s ironic that he and Bob McGeachie are next to each other and they both died several days apart.

Above: Mike’s junior yearbook page.

Below: Mike as a champion swimmer along with Wayne Gault and the famous Brands twins.

Below we see Mike, Dave Cummings working to get the Auburnie to the printer. Nowadays it’d be online.

 

Below: The Auburn swim team.