Michael L. Thiele

Michael Lee Thiele, 79, passed away February 28, 2020 surrounded by his family. He was born in Alton, Illinois July 31, 1940 along the Mississippi River and attended schools in Alton. He later went on to Purdue University where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963, and was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the only engineering honor society representing the entire engineering profession. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. After graduating from Purdue, Mike went to Los Angeles and worked for C.F. Braun for a year prior to his joining Bechtel Corporation in 1964. He began his career with Bechtel living in Libya beginning as a Cost Engineer and ending as a Construction Superintendent for a four- year period. He then transferred back to Bechtel’s San Francisco office where he met and married his wife Elaine in 1969.

After a year and a half in San Francisco working as a business development representative, it was back to Libya, this time as Resident Manager over Bechtel’s construction operations.

Abu Dhabi was to be their next home. After arriving in Abu Dhabi 1972, he signed up for a golf tournament called The Abu Dhabi Open. Mike, being the only American in the tournament, managed to beat out two of the previous British winners in a play-off to win the Abu Dhabi Open. This was played on a sand course and Mike was presented with a gold khanjar, an Arabian dagger, for his trophy. This was given to Mike by an Abu Dhabi sheik who was a government official and sponsor of the event.

From Abu Dhabi Mike transferred to Beirut, Lebanon where he was the Middle East General Manager for Bechtel’s Pipeline projects. It was during this time that their son Michael was born in 1974.

Mike and his family then traveled to Saudi Arabia to his next assignment as Operations Manager for all Bechtel Saudi projects, including the building of a major housing compound which was to be their home.

After many years in the Middle East, Mike and his family returned to the U.S.A. in 1978 to Houston Texas. It was out of the Bechtel Houston Office where Mike was the Construction Manager for Pipeline Division’s worldwide projects with responsibility for business development and projects. From 1982 through 1983 he was Resident Manager on the LPG Pipeline System in Algeria. In 1986 he was named Vice President and Manager of Pipeline Operations for Bechtel. In 1990 Mike was elected Senior Vice President of Bechtel Group, Inc. and President of the Pipeline Division and Director in 1997. It was then he established permanent business/engineering/construction offices in Thailand, Australia, and Russia and had the responsibility for execution of major international engineering, procurement and construction projects in Libya, Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Portugal, Russia and the United States. His responsibility as Resident Manager on the Colombian pipeline went from the jungles of Colombia over the Andes Mountains to an offshore export terminal. One other major pipeline, the PGT/PG&E Pipeline, stretched from the Canadian Border to Southern California and was the largest lump sum job in the history of Bechtel to that date.

Mike was elected Executive Vice President of Bechtel Group in 2000 and was the manager of corporate wide functions of engineering, procurement, construction and remained on the Finance Committee and Co-Chairman of Project Risk Assessment until his retirement in 2005. Mike was known throughout the industry for the work he accomplished. He very much enjoyed his work, and most of all, the people he met and worked with in this industry, of which he was highly respected. Mike spent most of his career working on international Bechtel projects either as a resident or with direct responsibility over multiple projects in 21 different countries; 4 countries in the Middle East, 3 in North Africa, 2 in Europe, 7 in Southeast Asia and Oceania and 4 in Latin America. He was resident in foreign countries for more than half of his 41-year career with Bechtel.

While working at Bechtel, Mike was elected President of the International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association in 1990 – 1991, an association of Presidents and top managers in the world- wide Pipeline Contracting Industry. He remained a Director and advisor with this group for the following two years.

He was also elected an Honorary Member of the Pipeline Contractors Association in 2006.

Although busy with his career, he carved out time for his family. Ski trips and summer vacations were always great fun with memories being made. Mike and his family traveled from Texas to California in a motor home touring along the way, and made several trips throughout Europe.

Since Mike’s retirement he stayed on as a Consultant to Bechtel for a number of years while running a couple of other businesses ventures on his own. He was the Chairman of Global Safety Labs in Tulsa, Oklahoma since inception of operations January 2007.

He built his home in the Royal Oaks Country Club community on the golf course, and upon retirement, finally got to play all the golf he wanted to, which was his passion. He shot two holes in one on the same golf course at different times, along with “shooting his age” which was 78 at the time. Mike played golf all over the world including Pebble Beach, Cypress, Augusta and many others too numerous to mention enjoying the game and companionship of his fellow golfers.

Mike liked entertaining and his Christmas parties were one of the highlights of the year. He enjoyed being around people telling stories about building a pipeline while living in remote and sometimes dangerous location, or, relating some humorous golf stories. Whatever it was, the stories were almost always embellished.

Mike will be remembered for his positive outlook, sense of humor, straightforward approach to everything in life, generosity, and a big friendly grin for everyone he meets. He will be greatly missed by his wife, his son, family and many of his dear friends, all who loved him.

Mike is preceded in death by his father William Thiele and mother Violet Bickmore Thiele.

He is survived by wife Elaine Thiele of Houston, Texas; son Michael Thiele of New Orleans, Louisiana; brother William Thiele of Coronado, California; nephews William Thiele, wife Karen, Timothy Thiele, wife Heather, Scott Thiele, wife Adriana, along with other distant Thiele relatives all living in California and Illinois. Also are sister-in-law Marque Setevage, Connecticut; nephew Marc, Connecticut; nieces Kristen, New York and Amy, Connecticut.

Mike converted to Catholicism April 2014 and was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church

A memorial mass service will be held at 10:30 A.M., on March 6 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, Texas 77079. Visitation will be the evening before on Thursday, March 5 from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. in the White Oak Room in Memorial Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77079.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cancer Research Foundation www.cancerresearchfdn.org.