Deceased October 7, 2023
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In Memory
Mike left us Oct. 7, 2023, after a long, increasingly difficult battle with Parkinson’s disease.
At Amherst, low-key and gentle in his demeanor, Mike made many good friends. And on a freshman-year blind date, he met the love of his life, Mary Ellen Tressel (Smith ’62), who was also—as Mike stressed—his best friend in life. Upon graduation, they were married. Mike, having majored in English, picked up requisite pre-med courses at New York University and then earned his medical degree from the State University of New York. After his residency, Mike launched a career in orthopedics, bringing total joint replacement to northeastern Connecticut, where he established his practice and settled the family into a 200-year-old farmhouse.
His interests were far-ranging. Beyond keeping his patients in good repair, he also enjoyed restoring and repairing the house, his beloved 1937 Ford truck, a 1954 Ford sedan and an aged tractor—“Big Momma”—which he used to mow the fields. He was quite interested in restoration techniques. And his standards were high: patients, house, cars, tractor—all were to be kept in mint condition. Beyond his interests was the joy he and Mary Ellen shared in raising their four children.
He also sought breadth of experience, moving his growing family to Shropshire, England, for part of his residency and enjoying travel to Europe and Southeast Asia. Further breadth was achieved by getting elected probate judge for Eastford, Conn., serving for 11 years, enjoying his exposure to the world of legal analysis. And, as judge, he had the pleasure of marrying all four of his children.
He is survived by Mary Ellen; their children, Robert (Ashlyn), Patrick (Laura), Liz (Andy Brownlee) and Kathleen (Vince Giandonato); and 11 grandchildren. Our hearts go out to them for their loss.
Craig Morgan ’62 and John Hazlett ’62