Michael Rene Rankin

MIKE WAS BORN IN MOBILE, AL, ON FEBRUARY 15, 1950, TO PRESTON PAYNE RANKIN AND DOROTHY (ROUCHION) RANKIN. RAISED IN ST. LOUIS, MO., HE GRADUATED FROM BEAUMONT HIGH SCHOOL IN 1968 AND ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI.

HE WORKED AS A NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER AT SEVERAL TELEVISION STATIONS AND NETWORKS, INCLUDING WTPA IN HARRISBURG, PA, AND ABC IN WASHINGTON, DC, WHERE HE WON AN EMMY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY FOR FILMING A KU KLUX KLAN RALLY.

AN ARMY VETERAN, HE SERVED THREE YEARS AND TEN MONTHS IN ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE BEGINNING IN 1984 AND ANOTHER TWO YEARS IN THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE. DURING HIS TENURE, HE WAS STATIONED AT SEVERAL MILITARY BASES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. HE WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 1990 WHILE STATIONED IN HONOLULU, HI, WHERE HE MADE HIS HOME FOR 33 YEARS.

MIKE WORKED AS AN ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR FOR A CRUISE SHIP AND LATER AS A TAXI DRIVER BASED OUT OF KAILUA. AS A TAXI DRIVER, HE TREATED EACH OF HIS CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY AND AFFECTIONALLY BECAME KNOWN TO ALL OF HIS CLIENTS AS "TRIPLE 5", AS THIS NUMBER SEQUENCE WAS PART OF HIS PHONE NUMBER.

ONE OF HIS TAXI CUSTOMERS BECAME SO ENDEARED TO HIM, AND HE WITH HER, THAT HE BECAME HER CLOSE FRIEND AND CAREGIVER FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF HER LIFE.

MICHAEL LOVED THE LORD AND WAS A DEVOUT FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST. HE OFTEN SHARED HIS FAITH AND ACTIVELY SOUGHT TO LEAD PEOPLE TO THE LORD.

HE AND HIS SON, XAVIER, WERE INSEPARABLE! THEY WATCHED MOVIES TOGETHER, WENT TO THE BEACH TOGETHER, RODE IN HIS CAB TOGETHER, AND WORSHIPED TOGETHER. HE WAS DETERMINED TO "TRAIN HIM UP IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO" BY TEACHING HIM TO SEEK GOD'S WISDOM.

EVEN THOUGH THEY MOVED AROUND THE ISLAND MANY TIMES, THEY ALWAYS FOUND A NEARBY CHURCH THAT THEY WOULD REGULARLY ATTEND.

MICHAEL WAS ONE OF A KIND, WITH HIS UNIQUE SENSE OF HUMOR AND ENGAGING ANTICS. YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT!

IN ADDITION TO HIS WIFE, JAMIE (MANINGDING) RANKIN, SON, XAVIER ROUCHION RANKIN, AND STEPDAUGHTER, ZYLAH PABUNAN, HE IS SURVIVED BY HIS SISTERS, TERRESINA RANKIN BROWN (EARL BROWN), OF HARRISBURG, PA, CONSTANCE RANKIN ARTER (MICHAEL ARTER) OF VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, VEDA RANKIN MORALES (MARVIN MORALES) OF LANCASTER, CA, AND A HOST OF NIECES, NEPHEWS AND COUSINS, WORLDWIDE.