Obituary of Michael John Carrigan

We are saddened by the sudden passing of our dear father, loving husband and grandfather, Michael Carrigan, on December 14, 2013. He was the son of Mary and Bud Carrigan and was born April 28, 1937 in Sioux City, Iowa. He attended Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco and met his wife, Elaine, at a school dance. They were married on June 1, 1957. Mike was a retail business owner in San Mateo and Sunnyvale for over 30 years. He served on the Men's Club Board of Saint Francis High School in Mountain View in the 70's. Mike was very athletic and was known to be an excellent handball player at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. After selling their business, Mike and Elaine retired to Santa Cruz in 1990. He was an enthusiastic volunteer and an active member of the Surf City Kiwanis. He enjoyed traveling, was an avid 49er fan and loved listening to Frank Sinatra. Most days you would find him sitting on his ocean-front porch people watching. He treasured the Monterey Bay and had donated his time as a docent at the Long Marine Laboratory. He loved a good Beefeater martini, which helped him endure his love-hate relationship with the BBQ. He was a wonderful, generous man who always had a song or a joke for every occasion and said he spoke the loudest because he had the most important things to say. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Elaine; his son James Carrigan, daughters Susan Chavez and Laurie Carrigan, daughter-in-law Jennifer Carrigan and son-in-law Jesse Chavez; his four grandchildren Michael and Nicolas Chavez and Lindsay and Erin Carrigan. He was devoted to his family and relished spending time with them. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. Services will be held at Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga Street in Santa Cruz on Thursday, December 19th at 6:00pm. A gathering of friends to follow at the Carrigan home. In lieu of flowers, please send your donation to the American Heart Association or your favorite charity.