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Gerard "Jerry" Michael was born in Pittsburgh, PA on September 1, 1925 and passed away February 13, 2009. He attended grade school in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from high school in Greenville, PA. In 1947, he moved to Albuquerque from Pennsylvania due to asthma. He worked at Soft Water Plumbing and then worked for Driver Miller Plumbing and eventually bought it from his partners. It was then changed to Mechenbier and Sons Plumbing where all five of his children were involved in the business. He was also the president of the Mechanical Contractors Association in the early 1970's. One of his favorite pastimes was working on his ranch in Estancia Valley. In 1950, he married Jane Rodgers. They would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on April 29th. He is survived by his children: Kathy (Ron) Williams of Sandy, Oregon, Mike (Kathy) of Tome, John (Cindy) of Albuquerque, Mark (Catherine) of Amarillo, TX and Jeff (Cheri) of Albuquerque. He was blessed with 15 grandchildren: Bryan, Kristen, Kim, Jessica, Abby, Katie, Emily, Jeremy, Jason, Richelle, Laura, Priscilla, Amber, Jake, Kacie and also had 5 great grand children: Mikey, Adeline, Grace, Anthony, Karl and Owen Gerard. He is survived by three sisters and three brothers: Charles, Norbert and Bernard Mechenbier, Margaret Otteni, Mercedes Ray and Vera Mae Gardner and numerous nephews and nieces and a large extended family. His siblings Joseph, Jerome, Raymond, Ed and Marian Moyer precede him in death. He was a member of Queen of Heaven Catholic Church for 45 years and served on the school board for many years. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and loved water skiing and racquetball prior to his stroke in 1976. After 1976, he fought his way back from his stroke and other health challenges through the dedication of his family, his love of life and the compassion of his grandchildren. Through it all, he never lost his sense of humor or zest for life. Complications from pneumonia ended his life on earth but his loving memories live on. He will be greatly missed by his numerous relatives, friends and Alex Carrasco, his devoted caretaker. A Rosary will be recited, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 5311 Phoenix NE. Mass will be celebrated Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church Internment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 7999 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Friends may visit Queen of Heaven Church one hour prior to the Rosary. The Mechenbier family wishes to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support during this time. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to El Ranchito de Los Ninos at P.O. Box 2400, Los Lunas, NM 87031 or the charity of your choice. Please visit our online guest register for Mechenbier at RembemberTheirStory.com. French 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE (505) 275-3500
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