May 14, 1959 – February 11, 2022
Michael K. Jorgensen, 62, passed away peacefully at home on February 11, 2022, after a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s. He was surrounded by wife Susan and their daughters Erica and Ingrid as they shared his favorite jokes with him.
Mike was born in Orange County, CA, living within sight of Disneyland. He even had Snow White as one of his babysitters! He was the youngest of the four children of Charles and Joan Jorgensen. His older siblings were Gregg, Kathleen, and Lori. Growing up he lived in California (twice), Minnesota and ended up on a beach in Ohio near Cedar Point Amusement Park. (Are we seeing a pattern yet?)
He graduated from The Ohio State University where he met his future wife Sue in fencing class (yes, the one with swords). They shared 44 years together.
After a career in both finance and construction, Mike settled in Park City, Utah where he could ski, golf, hike and enjoy mountain life with his family and their dogs. He always had multiple dogs.
He followed his heart going back to school at the University of Utah earning a degree in Elementary Education, completing his master’s degree at Southern Utah University. He taught in the Wasatch School District, first as a 5th grade classroom teacher, then as a teacher in the gifted and talented program. He could not believe how much he loved going to work every day. He even spent his weekends at Deer Valley, where he worked for over 20 years, teaching children how to ski.
He spent his summer at education programs related to science and space. He spent many days every year at NASA. He was certified to handle moon rocks and participated in a program that allowed him to go on a flight that simulated weightlessness. Sue referred to him as Mr. Wizard. She never knew what science experiments she would find in the house.
He loved Ohio State football and looked forward to returning to “The Shoe” every year to see a game in person. No matter where in the world he was traveling, if it was a Game Day, he would manage to find a broadcast of the game and watch with a gathering of the local Ohio State fans. (He did have his priorities.)
He loved to travel, both domestically and internationally. When Erica and Ingrid were still young, he took them on a “Daddy-Daughter” road trip driving from Utah to the East Coast. When questioned about the difficulty of that, he replied “It was easy. Usually when I go on a field trip I do it with 30 kids.” He was very proud of the fact that he had visited all 50 states.
Most any day he was wearing something with the Ohio State logo. No matter where in the world he went, he always found fellow Buckeyes, connecting with them with a cheery “O-H”.
He was a tireless volunteer. He loved the work he did with the Sundance Film Festival, the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and The Park City Institute. He was a member of the Park City Community Church.
Although Mike loved the sciences, he had a great appreciation for the arts. He spent countless hours volunteering at The Park City Institute enormously enjoying their performances. In lieu of flowers his family would like any donations to be made there at www.parkcityinstutute.org .
If Mike could give people parting words, he would tell you to “Live life to the fullest. You only get one. This isn’t a dress rehearsal, this is it. And remember to ‘Pay it forward’.”
There will be a Celebration of Life at the Park City Community Church on March 16 at 5:00pm.