OBITUARY FROM INDIANA FUNERAL CARE (GREENWOOD, IN) WEBSITE:
Michael (Mick) Pillar, 75, passed away in his home on Friday, February 8, 2019 surrounded by his wife and daughter. He died stubborn as any good Irish man would. Mick pretended he didn’t smoke, enjoyed an occasional adult beverage, ate carbs, and thought walking a mile on the treadmill constituted sufficient daily exercise.
He met his future wife while they both worked at Lytton’s Clothing Store in Gary IN. Married almost 50 years to his wife Patty who he treated like a queen. So much so that her family teased her wondering if she knows how to pump gas or where the grocery store is. He would do everything for her, not because he had to, because he loved her and wanted to take care of her. He would indulge her by finding fabric stores in every city they visited so she could buy quilting fabric or other craft items for those projects she will someday do.
As a point of pride, he had a leading practice for grocery shopping at Meijer on Friday mornings that maximized the weekly flier, coupons, and organized by aisle. He described in lengthy detail to anyone who would listen, every meal he had eaten. He enjoyed trying new beers, scotch, and wine. Please raise a glass to celebrate the life of Mick.
Mick was born in famous Gary, Indiana (queue song) and grew up in Hobart, Indiana. Loving football is a must in Hobart. He graduated from Hobart High School in 1961 and attended Butler University. Mick’s father, George, was in the Army National Guard. Mick as a young teen would go with his dad to annual field training to shine boots during the summer. Mick began his military career at 17 in the National Guard, going active duty in 1980. He was a combat engineer and then recruiting and retention. He was awarded Sagamore of the Wabash in 1998 upon his retirement.
Mick and Patty lived in Griffith, Crown Point, Indianapolis, and Fishers Indiana. And a short stint at Ft. Belvoir VA.
Mick loved nothing better than to plan destination vacations. They made a point to tour Frank Lloyd Wright homes and enjoyed traveling to new cities and cruising to foreign countries. Mick and Patty were twenty-nine-year season ticket holders of the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre. Mick loved Cats (the musical, not the feline as he said they were sneaky. There’s probably a story here of childhood trauma he never shared).
Mick loved all racing and many a day enjoyed waving the start and finish flags. He enjoyed golfing in Ironwood Senior Golf league where his 6-hour rounds got him kicked off one of the leagues as the other old people said he was too slow. He is a staple of the scotch tasting at the Columbia Club. Mick and Patty truly enjoyed dancing at the Irvington Dance Club and LaDanse Ballroom, where they earned their Full Bronze in smooth ballroom dances. He was full of trivia he learned from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.
As a grandfather Mick enjoyed his grandchildren, traveling to Virginia to watch Collin play Lacrosse. Collin as a young boy was terrorized by his grandfather’s recommendation to “cut off” whichever body part was pinched, cut or bruised. Emma enjoyed each time Grandpa would try to teach her to cook, taking over when she achieved imperfection. He shared his love for the theatre with Lainey and Marin taking them to Disney on Ice and Elephant and Piggy.
Mick was preceded in death by his parents, Peg and George; his super fun sister, Marcia; brother, Terry ,a character in his own right; and his dog, Shadow. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughters, Cheryl and Megan (Daniel); brothers, Mark (Linda), Bruce (Kathie), and Brian (Kathy); 4 grandchildren; brother-in-law, Merv; and scads of nieces and nephews.
Mick was such a proud military veteran. He was on the board of the Folds of Honor. The family wishes in lieu of flowers that donations be sent to www.foldsofhonor.org. A viewing will be held 11:00 AM with a service at 1:00 PM on President’s Day, Monday, February 18, 2019 at Indiana Funeral Care 8151 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis IN 46250.
This information and picture were obtained from: https://indianafuneralcare.com/obituary/michael-mick-pillar.