Michael Owen Padian

Born in Maryland, his parents would move to Phoenix where he grew up. Like every kid in the 60s, Mike loved his trucks, built forts, and played cowboys and army with the neighborhood kids. He was a cub scout until he was an Eagle Scout and swam competitively in high school. Mike loved Saturday morning cartoons. Even as an adult, he’d sit on the edge of the bed eating a bowl of cereal watching Bugs Bunny laughing out loud. He didn’t need sound. He knew all the lines by heart. Sadly, at only 15, his dad, Robert, passed away and we are hopeful they are getting reacquainted once again.

Mike attended Occidental College and his roommate told a story about how he’d gone to the housing admin to ask who determined who would room with whom. Expecting the typical rant of complaints, they were hesitant to respond. His roommate then said he wanted to thank whoever had put him with Mike. Mike was always a good friend. He was easy to get along with and laughed at your worst jokes. With his flair for adventure, his mother once said the happiest day of her life was when he sold his hang glider and motorcycle.

Mike then attended Arizona State receiving his MBA. This is when he met his wife, Andrea. She fell for his intellect but soon learned he was kind, funny and spontaneous. They explored many corners of Arizona, Colorado, and California, usually camping, and he would try to impress her with his boy scout knowledge and fishing skills. She would introduce him to -50 degree temps in South Dakota. He liked to give her carnations and he made her laugh. They were two kids that fell in love because they simply enjoyed each other so much. Before they got married, Andrea told a friend that Mike was perfect to which she replied, no one is perfect. Andrea answered, I know…but he’s perfect for me. That was 43 years ago.

Mike’s first real job was an Imaginer at Disney (WED) building EPCOT. He loved it…the creativity, the projects, and people he met. A couple years ago, he attended a 35-year reunion of those cast members who brought EPCOT to life and it was an incredibly happy day for him. He spent the next 11 years with the Irvine Company as VP of Land Development. In 1995 he went to work for the Mouse again building California Adventure. You might find his tile there at the entry. When that project was completed, he formed Padian Team Consulting, INC, where he spent the next 20 years building mausoleums & cemeteries, parks and fire stations, themed Dubai parks and Cars Land at California Adventure.

Mike and Andrea had two boys, Tyler & James. He never missed an opportunity to laugh with his boys, go hiking with them, and attend their games and band events. His Fat Albert imitation always cracked the kids up. Some of their favorite moments came in Indian Guides on their 2-night monthly camp outs. They were Little Running Deer, Little Flaming Spear and Mike was Dull Hatchet. They had great adventures. As a husband, Mike was a gem. Always supportive and onboard, he helped Andrea in a million ways with her many nonprofit causes, but his favorite was raising a seeing eye dog puppy. They were a team in every way, and a weekly date night was mandatory. They loved to travel, often bringing their boys. Whether being held at gunpoint by 6 police in Communist Prague, driving like James Bond through the streets of Tuscany to catch their ship before it left them or waking up on a German mountain side Easter morning to the sounds of Gregorian chants from the valley below, they loved every minute of their innocence abroad. They laughed so hard. He loved his family.

Mike also loved ASU football, ice cream and TCM. The worse the movie, the more he liked it. He loved a good steak and beer, music, concerts, and Broadway shows. He loved meeting new people, exchanging stories, and making them laugh. Mike would jump in to help anyone, anytime. A neighbor once said she knew how loving and kind he was when a pup was hit by a car and he rushed to comfort the dog, even while it repeatedly bit him.

Mike leaves behind Andrea, his wife of 37 years, their two sons, Michael Tyler, of Arcata, CA. and James (and Abbey), of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; his mother, Patricia Padian, and sister, Connie Padian (and Paul Needle) of Phoenix; and 7 nieces & nephews.

In life, it’s the good things you do when no one is watching that tell people who you are. Mike was a doer of many good things. He did everything with a smile, a sense of humor and love. To honor Mike, go out and be a doer. Make someone feel special just because you can.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Fairhaven Memorial in Mission Viejo on March 13th, 11 am - 2 pm. If you’d like to attend please contact his son, James at [email protected]. If you cannot attend but would like to watch, please request a link to a FB live stream and join us virtually. If you have memories to post or photos, please do so here. They warm our broken hearts.