Robert "Mike" Driscoll

SPEARFISH - Robert E. "Mike" Driscoll, 72, Spearfish, died Thursday, April 21, 2011, from heart failure.

He was the only son of Robert and Elinor Driscoll, one-time spouse of Rosalie (Cone), Jean (Young), Helen (Rosenberg), all of whom preceded him in death, and Sharon (Nelson). He was the father of Whitney Driscoll, Colleen Carroll and Michael Driscoll. He also had eight grandchildren, Catie, Shiloh, Jack, Mary, Ev, and Will Carroll and Andrea and Ryan Driscoll. He shared his days with his last dog partner, Angel, and his special dog friend, Chi the Chihuahua.

Mike was a student, economist, lawyer, law teacher, art gallery operator, corporate director and, in retirement, a private investor. A reserved, reclusive and contemplative man neither social nor a joiner he had a mostly good and generous heart and loved his family and friends from many different walks of life who gained his trust and loyalty. He also loved and respected animals and all living things, especially dogs. He was usually gentle and kind.  He was a spiritual and prayerful man. A recovered alcoholic, he had been sober through the grace of God and help of others for 35 years when he died and considered that and cessation of tobacco smoking and use the major personal accomplishments of his life. The cultivation of mind and spirit were central to his life. He read widely and loved books, spoken language and poetry. For some inexplicable reason, he constantly studied and read French, a language which he greatly enjoyed but never used. He sought and saw beauty in all his surroundings, collected art, traveled, enjoyed an endless fascination for trains and railroading once briefly owning his own lounge car, liked to grow vegetables, did downhill skiing from youth until he died striving for perfect style and grace in form, became a serious amateur photographer late in life, found endless fascination with technology and especially Apple computers and products, and studied medicine and issues of health and treatment of disease in all its aspects except surgery yet refused to consult doctors as he aged preferring holistic and natural methods of staying healthy. He was interested in anything and everything and, by his own admission, mastered nothing. He wrote well but produced little. His heroes were Augustine, Montaigne and W. Churchill. He would die, he said, with far more questions than answers. (This was not surprising for he was one of the last law school practitioners of the Socratic method as his preferred teaching method.) He believed in rigorous honesty. He asked to be cremated and buried in a private graveside ceremony without comment. (Written by Mike in July of 2010).

A memorial has been established for the Terry Peak Junior Ski Race Program.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Crematory Service of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com.