Michael "Mike" Charles Proctor

Michael Charles Proctor was born on April 9, 1956 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to Robert Charles Proctor and Mary Louise Bell. The son of a father in the oil industry, Mike spent much of his childhood on the move, visiting or living in places across our country and the globe. From Denver to Tripoli, Mike’s passion for adventure took hold at a young age.

The Proctor family had a summer home in Marquette, Michigan that served as their home base while they lived overseas in Indonesia and Singapore. Wanting him to get a good education his parents sent Mike to the States to attend Cranbrook High School, a college preparatory academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After graduation from the academy he made his move to Tucson where he enrolled at the University of Arizona. It was here that the future Wildcat chose to set down his own roots.

Continuing the commitment to service instilled by his father, Mike joined the Tucson Police Department on September 25, 1978. Throughout his 32 year career he served in a variety of units to include K-9, TAC Unit, CID/ Warrants, Investigations, and DUI. He spent most of his career in the Traffic Division where he worked as a Motor Officer and Motor Instructor where he was affectionately known as “Doctor”.

On and off the job, Mike never did anything half way. While some people tinker about with hobbies, Mike went headlong into the things he loved. He approached them all with careful study, remarkable dedication, and unbridled passion. He was incapable of being a casual anything, which meant he spent countless hours looking down the barrel of gun, strapped in the cockpit of a plane, and gripping the bars of a motorcycle.

The only thing Mike loved more than his pastimes were people. Strangers were received with a friendly hello, friends with a hug and a shake, family with a warm embrace. He naturally sought out and connected with nearly everyone whose path he crossed. Mike possessed an uncommon ability to engage, to make others feel welcome, and to make lifelong relationships.

Retirement meant more time. He often repeated that he was busier in retired life than he ever was while working. Even in retirement, Mike kept a regimented schedule, hitting the gym every day that he wasn’t traveling. True to form, he made so many friends at the gym that his workouts often took twice as long because he chatted with everyone. He cherished his Wednesday range time, and his monthly lunches with his fellow retirees. He also enjoyed cross country trips to visit friends and family, mountain bike rides with the boys, last minute multi-day adventures, and countless BBQ’s, holidays, and birthday parties.

Mike loved his daughters and his granddaughters beyond measure. As his family continued to grow he spent as much time as possible to be with them. He was the epitome of a great dad and nothing brought him as much joy as his granddaughters. He loved getting down on the floor to wrestle and play but enjoyed bedtime stories and snuggles just as much. Delighted by the ways they were growing and the funny things they would say and do, stories of his granddaughters made his face light up in a way nothing else did.

Mike passed away on May 22, 2019 following a tragic motorcycle accident. There is peace in knowing he was doing something he loved when he passed.

Mike is survived by his two daughters, Melissa Black (Jeramie) and Kimberlee Gorsline (Tyler), his four granddaughters, Miriam (5), Evie (3), Addie (2) and Arielle (6 months); two sisters, Linda Zobel and Patricia May (Jay), Nephews Christopher and Alexander May and countless extended family members and a myriad of loyal friends. He is preceded in death by his beloved parents Robert and Mary Lou Proctor; brother in law, Kent Zobel.

Mike’s memorial service will be held at Pantano Christian Church located at 1755 S. Houghton Rd at 10:00 a.m. on Monday June 3, 2019. A reception will immediately follow the services at the church. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Kent’s Heart and Hope Foundation, PO BOX 18621, Tucson, AZ 85710.