Michael Dennis Kimak

Mike was born (the oldest of two children) on July 20, 1943 to Metro and Mary (Kertis) Kimak in Jersey City, NJ. He grew up and graduated high school in Bayonne, NJ. After high school, he ventured out of NJ to West Lafayette, IN to attend Purdue University, where he graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1965. He would later receive his Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas in 1971, while serving in the Army.

From 1965-1985, Mike did Defensive Work for the Army. He was a part of the 101st Airborne Division. His 101st Airborne challenge coin showed that he frequently and happily participated in the “Coin Check!” challenge. From 1986-2005, Mike found himself spending his time doing Defensive Work on the Civilian side, which led to his retirement in Colorado Springs, CO. His service in the Army brought him many experiences and travels. The first time he was stationed in El Paso, TX in 1969 proved to be his most successful, as Mike met the love of his life, Patricia “Pat” Ann (Stapf) Kimak. After just a few short months of dating, Mike and Pat wed in St. Louis, MO on December 21, 1969. Mike and Pat had 37 blissful years of love, laughter, and adventures, where they easily made friends at every turn.

Their best adventure started during Monday Night Football in 1976. Mike would often joke about that night saying he begrudgingly left his beloved MNF to head to the hospital with laboring Pat. In the early hours of Tuesday, December 21, 1976, they spent their 7th Anniversary welcoming their one and only son, Christopher “Chris” Michael Kimak. This new tribe of three would continue to enjoy the adventures that Mike and Pat started, as they traveled all over the World. Mike’s love of travel continued throughout his whole life. He visited all 7 continents, with some of his favorite travel spots being: Antarctica, Churchill, Prague, Venice, and the North Pole. His travel adventures proved to be fruitful, as he went on to earn many accolades for his photography. He had photos published on: Kellogg’s Mueslix cereal box, Time Life magazine, fine art exhibits in Denver, New York and Boston, Natural Habitat Adventures Wildlife, and many more.

Mike truly did live life to the fullest and his stories of his adventures will continue with his surviving family, son Chris (Stephanie) Kimak, sister Joyce (George) Patterson, nephew Kertis, niece Rachel (John) Edmunds; great nephew and niece Julian and Rosie Edmunds and many more. He is predeceased by his wife, Pat, his father Metro, his mother Mary, his Uncle George, and his Aunt Gladys.

A memorial and graveside service will be held on Saturday, February 25th at 11 am at Grandview Cemetery, Fort Collins, CO and followed by a reception at Chris and Stephanie’s house.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you donate to Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research https://lustgarten.org/donatenow/, a cause near and dear to Mike due to the loss of his life-long love, Pat, to Pancreatic Cancer.