Michael Ralph Whelchel was a broad-chested, strong, handsome, bearded, blue-eyed blond giant of a man who turned 46 on July 26 of this year. He crossed into eternity like a comet to be greeted by his father and mother on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, around seven in the evening, as he was travelling West bound, headed for home, in his big, green Chevy pickup. The rollover happened on I-84 near Jerome at about mile marker 148. This action ripped a gigantic hole in the hearts of all of us who love him - which we will fill up with the sunshine of his memory. Mike had more friends than you can count and an incredible giant heart and personality. He had a goal to build a cabin in the woods at Clear Creek. We went many times with him there, and to the Idaho City and Stanley areas, and many times he said to his sister, Elizabeth, "Walk with me." There must be pine trees and mountains in heaven so Mike can build his cabin and sit on the porch in winter and watch the snow falling because that truly was his idea of heaven. He had a life full of hard struggles and sometimes, for him, it seemed like a square peg fighting not to be hammered into a round hole. But Mike would never fit into something that didn't work for him. He was a fighter, not a quitter, and he forged forward in this life like a Lion King. Words cannot express how much we love him. We hope there are pool tournaments in heaven because he loved the game, won many local tournaments, was pro-material and his home away from home was the Pocket in Boise. He liked good movies, good rock and roll from the 70's and 80's era, listened to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk shows, loved his country, and one of life's greatest pleasures for him was eating a 20 oz. cut of smoked prime rib, rare along with drinking a Black Butte porter at Goodwood BBQ restaurant. He listened very intently to The Other Side by Steve Godfrey and really thought there was something to communicating with the afterlife. He said many times he thought there was a hereafter and that, if your soul is light, it will float off to where it belongs. He said his soul was light and it would fly where it was supposed to- he said he "never committed no crimes or killed nobody" so he felt he was going to be fine.

He leaves behind three brothers John (Anita), Loren (Brenda) and Tim (ex-Wanda) and two sisters Sharon (Dan) and Elizabeth, adopted brother Carl Lucas, nieces Amber, Tracy (Jim) and Lisa(Jerry) and nephews Loren, Chris, David (Divinity), Russ and Chris, and his best friend, a big rottie dog named GrizzLee Bear.

Mike, we love you for all time and eternity and will see you again sometime soon.

The family wishes to thank ISP Trooper Mike Wendler who tended to Mike and a doctor whose name we do not know.

A graveside service will take place on Friday, October 7 at 2 p.m. in the Middleton cemetery, arranged by Flahiff Funeral Chapel in Caldwell.

It is the family's desire to hold a yearly Mike Whelchel Memorial pool tournament, the proceeds to go to charitable causes. Rack 'em up, Big Mike.

Published in Idaho Statesman on October 2, 2011