In+Memoriam+Michael+Maxell

From: Tear Upon The Rose By Gaelic Storm I ’ ve held my shoulder to the plow, I ’ ve worked these fields for so long, This earth has left its dirt on me, And made my hands so strong, It hurts to lay these reins aside, My heart, and heaven, knows, This rocky soil I ’ ve cursed and nursed, Is no place to grow a rose. I grieve to leave, I grieve to leave this native land, Across the sea, she waits for me to take her hand, My every breath, my every bone, Have drawn what strength they have from home. But love is stronger I suppose, And there ’'    s the tear upon the rose. ==At 11:40 am, Saturday, December 13th, 2008. Mike Maxell passed into Glory after a three year struggle with spinal glioblastoma multiforme. Right after his diagnosis, Mike vowed he would kill that tumor. He finally succeeded. That damned tumor is dead, and Mike goes on.== Born on August 30th, 1987 in Omaha Nebraska, Mike moved to California with his folks in 1989. He was a good son, a steadfast friend, a person who loved life to the hilt, and a person who loved a good laugh. He was a dedicated disciple of Christ. He bridged many apparent contradictions: Cowboy Action Shooting and WarHammer 40,000; Johnny Cash and Rammstein; literature and air-soft rifles; surfing and entomology; being cool and wearing kilts to school. Somehow he made it all work. One dear friend summed it up as "a life well lived." Another noted Mike did more with his 21 years than many do with 80 or 90. Many folks have commented on his "grit" or "sand", his warrior spirit; on how he never gave up and never lost his sense of humor. In one of his last conversations, a friend asked, "Mike, are you cold?" He answered, "No, I'm Mike." A better son, no parent has ever had, nor a better friend. May we all run the race as well as you, Mike. May we meet again in the presence of our Lord and Savior. Amen.