Dear Kayley  and Logan,
How sad it is for you that your father has died. Dads are very important people in our lives and their death alway leaves a big space which can never be filled. He will always hold a special place in your lives.
With much love from Margaret

Mikel was a great friend and he lived a good life, even though it was cut short.  He stood at the altar for me at a major point in life's journey: Marriage. And today I am proud to stand here for him as he enters a new stage in his journey.  Mikel is in heaven now and we are here.  This is not the time for us to grieve his death but time to celebrate his life.

Mike was a man of many talents.   He was a musician, an artist, a photographer, and an entrepreneur.  He played many roles in his life; a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a friend.  Of these roles I can attest to quality of which he filled friendship, and of the importance of which he placed on fatherhood. 

A Friend:  I met Mike some 20 years ago.  He had come into my computer store as an attendee to a local Atari users group.  As I recall, that meeting focused on computers and music, two of his great interests.  Mike was a tall charismatic guy with a great sense of humor - Hard to miss.  Having similar interests, we hit it off immediately.  Having so much in common, our friendship grew over the next two decades.  Outside of technology and computers, his creativity, sense of humor, entrepreneurial spirit, and world view attracted me to him as a friend.  Both Mike and I strongly believe in independence and personal freedom, for that reason we chose to start our own companies, and hoped one day to strike it rich.
  
Like many entrepreneurs, Mike felt most comfortable when he was in control of his own destiny.  He was the captain of his own ship.  I remember once we took a road trip to Las Vegas for the Consumer electronics show.  We drove straight through.  About half way there Mike was getting tired, so I offered to take over the wheel.  He agreed.  We got about two miles before I was back in the passenger's seat...  Mike did not like the way I steered his ship (using just my thumb).  

However, it was this trait, the need control his own destiny, which gave Mike the strength to fight his disease all the way to the end:  Providing all of us (those who loved him) more time with him here on earth. 

A Father: Of all Mike's talents and of all the roles he played, fatherhood was the most important to him.  His happiness was dependant on being with his girls.  He truly loves his children (Kaley & Logan) more than anything else.  Throughout his fight with cancer our discussions would often focus on how proud he was of them... And I know he is watching over you both with pride today, as am I.

During one of my last visits with mike, after he realized that he was no longer in control of his destiny, (with a smile on his face) he reminded me of how we were both going to make it big someday; how we were going to strike it rich.  Well Mike, we did it.  We made it!  We both struck it rich in the love of family and our children.
  
So at this moment, when we are about to lay his body to rest, let's all think back and remember how Michael touched our lives, how he made us laugh, how he made it big, and how good Mikel was as a person.  Mikel will forever be missed, but I know in the right time, I will meet him again.  We will all meet Mike again and he'll play us a song or make us laugh again.

I'm the principal of Kaley's school, Catalyst High school. I am so glad that I went to her father's memorial service on Saturday. Not knowing him personally of course, I went to support Kaley. However, I have never, ever been to service before where I left the service feeling like I “knew” someone I had never met. By the end of the services, I was sure that I had known Mikel as a friend for years. 

What an awesome musician he was. I'm so glad Edy included the video in the service. And what a goofball he must have been, and I mean that in the greatest sense of the word.

The love he had for his girls, and their love for him, came through above all else. Clearly, he was loved dearly by his family and friends.

Love and prayers to all of the Cawthon family. 

June 11, 2011
My legal name is Edrea D. Volk, but my friends now call me Edy.  Some of you may have known me as Diane. Mikel did. Mikel and I met at the Dark Horse in Boulder in 1990 which began a 21 year relationship which included dating, marriage, children, divorce, co-parenting, friendship, conflict, and resolution.
Although, Mikel and I shared many moments of laughter and joy, as I began to piece together our story I found a common theme of pain.
On our second date in 1990 Mikel came over to my house in Boulder. We sat together on a large armchair which was placed in my kitchen next to the refrigerator. Being a good citizen of Boulder County, I had a small tapestry hung over the side of the fridge. In order to keep it in position I had secured it on the top with two bricks; an act that I immediately disassociated with because of my height.  Mikel was in the chair and I sat upon the padded arm nearest the tapestry. I leaned back casually and that is when the first pain occurred. One of my bricks fell from the top of the fridge and hit Mikel squarely on the head, bounced off and hit me on the head. Mikel’s first thought was that I had hit him with a brick, but then as we stared in a daze as the brick lay on the floor, I realized my folly. As we sat staring, drops of blood began to pool on the inside of my glasses. I had a nasty gash over my right eye. Mikel promptly told me that he knew how to make a tourniquet and began to wrap my head in paper towel. Needless to say, our adventure landed us in the emergency room and three stitches later we he had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend.
The night before our wedding in 1992, family and friends gathered at the Fawn Brook Inn in Allenspark for our pre-nuptial meal.  I left the Inn after the event with my father in front of me and Mikel behind. As I stepped off the front stoop, my heel slipped on an icy stair. I tried to catch myself by grabbing the old railing. My newly manicured artificial nail went straight into the soft wood and my weight took me down. The pain was excruciating. I had not only torn off my artificial nail attached by super glue, but my god given nail which lay underneath. Again, as we pieced the circumstances together in a bit of a daze, we realized medical attention was required. My mother, Mikel and I drove to the nearest emergency room in Estes Park where my nail was completely removed to the quick after a lot of Novocain and I was sent to return to the party with a bandaged middle finger and Codine. A painful memory, but something beautiful happened as we left the emergency unit and as we stopped at the stop sign, a herd of elk surrounded us. The three of us were struck by the moment as we waited for them to pass. Mikel and I were married the next day.
Without too much detail, the next painful event is 17 years old and sitting in the front pew… Kaley Margith Cawthon, born on December 12, 1993. Again we find Mikel, my mother, and me together;  this time in the delivery room at Avista Hospital. But as the story goes, out of this pain came joy and Mikel and I became new parents.
Ahhhhh, but the story does not end there. Exactly three years later on December 12, 1996 at Boulder Community Hospital, a midwife, Mikel and I, brought Logan Storm Cawthon into this world in a blaze of glory and intense pain. 14 year old Logan sits next to her older sister. Mikel and I were now parents to two daughters and Kaley and Logan began their intense bond which has seen them through many trials and joys.
Mikel and I struggled with our relationship and after 7 years of marriage we parted, but with two small children, there is no end, and our relationship again transformed through pain to co-parenting. Mikel was a dedicated father and lived to be with his girls as much as possible. He and Kaley and Logan created a life together since the year 1999 that holds many precious memories, a lot of love and pain shared.
In March of 2009, we learned Mikel had a malignant brain tumor. Mikel’s pain came in the form of countless treatments and brain surgery which ultimately robbed him of his ability to play music, but he never stopped fighting and was always optimistic about the next possibility. His courage was admirable. In March Mikel experienced a brain seizure from which he never fully recovered. He spent time in the ICU and ultimately a nursing home with hopes of regaining strength and control of his life, but that was not to be. 
Kaley, Logan, and I escorted him to the Balfour Hospice Care Center on Wednesday, May 18th. After he was positioned comfortably in his bed, he smiled at us and said “this is more like it”. These would be his last words. We sat with him for a week while he began his journey, sharing tears and laughter while he slept. Mikel passed on Wednesday, May 25th at 4:50pm so that he could make it to Logan’s 8th grade graduation at 5:30pm that evening.
We know that he is still with us today and are grateful that his pain is over, but as the story goes, our transition now is accompanied by the pain of loss and grief. Together with the support of our immediate family of six, and our extended family and friends, we will journey through this next rite of passage.
After our ceremony here in the chapel we invite those of you who are able to join us in procession following the limousines to the Louisville Cemetery where Mikel and Maj-Britt will be placed together and then for a gathering at The Bittersweet on Main Street in Old Town Louisville. Maps are in the foyer.
At this time, we ask you to view a you-tube video which Mikel produced of himself performing Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. At the end of the video with the lights still low we will hold our lighters high for 30 seconds in a final tribute to Mikel and Maj-Britt. We may not be able to see their encores, but we know they are spectacular.
Thank you all for attending.

Mike is a great friend and my brother. 
We spent a lot of time together playing music over the years. Raging Mane,Cawzum,Core. What an amazing talent. I love you bro! We will meet again!

Mikel is a very special man and will be missed.  I enjoyed our conversations and know that he is eternally in good hands.

Chaplain Wade Jensen

Mikel was my friend, my bro, my brother for over 52 years. We sang Beatles songs with tennis racket guitars in the early 1960's. Mikel went on to wow everyone with his guitar playing over the years.
He introduced me to my wife, Teresa.
The last two years we had a chance to get to be very close again. We had two years to say goodbye, but it is still devastating to lose you Mikel.

Until we meet again, bro!

I believe my first entry got deleted. I have so much to say about Mikel. He was my best friend for many years, we played in the same bands and he helped me move past losing our singer and my friend Kris Bradley. He will always be the "Big Guy" to me. Always positive always having a joke or a reason to laugh. He was an amazing musician added to his many talents. He will live on. His musical works on youtube as Mikel Thomas are just the tip of his talent. I have been so shattered since hearing of his passing. Bye Mike you will always be right here....

OBITUARY

Mikel Thomas and Maj-Britt Cawthon

Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Highland

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services