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In memory of

Michael Eugene Budowski

Guanacaste Province, Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

April 20, 1965 - June 4, 2020

Apr 20, 1965 - Jun 4, 2020

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Michael Eugene Budowski, loving father and husband, passed unexpectedly at home in Costa Rica on June 4, 2020. He was 55 years old.

Wait, wait, wait. That’s not nearly the kind of opening he’d want. Let’s start again.

Born April 20, 1965, Michael (also known as “King Mike” and “The Man, The Myth, The Legend Himself”), was always the life of the party. Folks from coasts east to west knew him as a singular force from a young age, bringing an ear-to-ear grin and sense of leadership everywhere he went, from his grade school halls and the lacrosse field to the conference rooms at his own companies and his family dining table. Michael was a true friend and a loving husband, a born leader and devoted father.

He convinced his children (and many others) that he was an astronaut, a doctor (of love), a secret service agent, and an actual member of some royal family (and on occasion, The Mob). He was endlessly proud of his Darth Vader impression and his ability to make his wife Susan and daughters Jade and Jordan laugh - even at their most annoyed. He knew every word to “Rapper’s Delight” and liked to torment his daughters by picking them up from school in bubba teeth (or Halloween masks). He also woke them up in the morning singing personalized songs with Susan over the house intercom, including “it’s a beautiful mornin’ for my Jade & Jordan”.

Michael was proud of his ventures both successful and not; from his time as an All-American athlete to making a SuperBowl commercial for his flourishing dot com and several television appearances to the eventual crash of that venture and his own health struggles, he always found a way to see the good. Everything became a learning experience, even massive disappointments.

Michael was the kind of person who could debate you till your ears bled, but he also gave so much of himself and his wisdom to anyone who needed it. He was an unfailing source of advice and support. He beamed with pride for his loved ones, and never felt he was too old a dog to learn a few new tricks. His hard-headedness was legendary, a stubbornness that went hand-in-hand with his enthusiasm for whatever he was doing.. He was so hard-headed he told doctors after waking up from a coma that he’d make it home in time for his wife’s 40th birthday, and he beat his self-imposed (seemingly impossible) deadline by 5 days. His relentless will to live his life earned him the name “Miracle Man” at the hospital, and even on his hardest days, he would “thank the pain” because he was so grateful to be on this earth.

There are countless stories that speak to the kind of man Michael was; he was the friend you wanted in your corner, the partner you wanted by your side, the father who made sure he was front row for whatever his daughters were doing.

Michael squirmed and covered his eyes during scary movies, and looked over to make sure you caught the “big” moments in his favorite classics. He lived to make people laugh by any means necessary. He was known to moon whoever might be in close proximity just to steal a second of attention, and some of his favorite evenings were those spent in the jacuzzi at the home he and Susan made for their daughters in Orlando. Most recently, his favorite part of each day was the morning coffee he shared with Susan at their home in Costa Rica overlooking the ocean.

Michael is survived by his wife Susan, daughters Jade and Jordan, mother Nancy, and siblings Terrie, Harlan, Sherrie, Leslie, and Patrick, and their spouses. Michael joins his beloved father Geno in heaven.

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