Michael’s Eulogy

Opening prayer and welcome before song 1.

Thank you all for joining us today to pay tribute to Michael. Your support is truly appreciated. As Michael’s Worship Pastor, life-group leader, and friend it is an honor to be here with you all today.

Will you pray with me?

Father God, we open this funeral service with sorrow, yet sincere rejoicing.

As we mourn the loss of Michael today, we also rejoice because he is now with you, Jesus.

As we speak with one another, sing, listen to your Word, and hear stories, focus our mind on your goodness. And direct our thoughts to fond memories of our departed friend and family member.

Let people speak of the ways Michael has impacted their lives.

And let us rejoice over every testimony, knowing that his life was a life well-lived.

Eulogy

It is never easy to say good-bye, but it is important. We are here because Michael meant so much to us. It’s hard to put into words how much Mike will be missed and what a positive impact he had on each of us.

Michael A. Barnes was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 16th, 1964. As a young boy and young man, he was known for being a bit quiet, but well mannered young man; faithful and supportive to his mother Joyce and siblings after the passing of his father, Roger. He spent his time in the boy scouts of America, working hard in the orchards during the summer, and working on cars, trucks, four wheelers, anything that went fast and had wheels.

Michael grew up having a close relationship with his best friends Fritz Garvin, Paul Hospenthal, and Frank Donnelly, and is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Tammy; his cherished daughters and their spouses - Kristine & Christopher; Kayla & Matthew; his dear brother, Dan; his dear sister Cheryl; and his wonderful grandchildren - Elliot, Owen, Ivy, Corey, and soon to be baby, Chloe.

I know each of you are very saddened by Michael’s passing. And today, as we grieve together, I want to highlight what made him so special. If I had to use three ways to describe Mike, I would say: He loved God and put Him and family first, he was strong and a steadfast foundation to all he loved, and he was extremely wise and insightful. I am sure each of you could add a lot more, as I know you experienced Michael’s love in a special way.

As you may know, Mike loved others deeply and enjoyed each moment he got to spend with his wife, his family, and his close friends. He was also passionate about cars, trucks, fishing, hunting, camping, boating, family vacations, family time, trips with his friends to Canada, and especially his faith in Jesus Christ.

In the professional realm, Michael graduated with honors from Ferris and went on to get his Masters in Business at Southern New Hampshire. For 36 years, he made an incredible impact at Chrysler among those he worked with and for and did his work with excellence.

Michael was special. He mattered. He was here and made a powerful impact on many of our lives. I admire the way he lived and loved. I especially admired his hunger to learn and grow in his faith and in his relationship with Jesus Christ. We will miss Michael so much. I will close with a quote that has brought me comfort. I hope it does the same for you.

“All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” - Helen Keller

Thank you all once again for honoring Michael’s life with your presence today. May we all continue to love deeply and may each gift of love from Michael remain a part of us.

At this time I’d like to invite Kayla, Kristine, and Cheryl to share.