Michael Frank Mortl

1935 - 2019

March 9, 1935 - February 14, 2019 Michael Frank Mortl (Mike), born March 9, 1935, in Minneapolis, MN, passed away in his own home on February 14, 2019, attended by his college sweetheart and wife of 60 years, Patricia Renee (Schwartz) Mortl (Patty), and his loving family. Mike moved to Southern California in 1957 after graduating from the University of Minnesota. He began and ended his working career in the finance and banking industry. In 1990, after his retirement as manager of Household Bank, Cerritos, he joined H & R Block in Long Beach as a seasonal tax preparer, a position he held for the next 15 years. Mike was dedicated to community service. During his banking years, he was President of the Cerritos Chamber of Commerce and sat on its Board of Directors. In the Torrance/Carson area where he lived, he was block captain of his neighborhood, acting in liaison with the Carson Sheriff's Station and the L.A. County Supervisor's Office for more than 15 years, advocating tirelessly for his community to make sure its needs were met. He wrote and distributed monthly newsletters for more than 1,000 homes in the vicinity. He organized events such as tree plantings, trash and graffiti removal, ice cream socials, Christmas caroling, and residential beautification projects. His compassion and good works for the homeless were abundant. In addition to providing them with food, warm clothing and sometimes shelter, he worked alongside President Jimmy and Roslyn Carter at Habitat for Humanity's San Pedro Blitz Build. Mike was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed running with his sons and grandsons in the South Bay Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving, swimming at Hermosa 2nd Street Beach with his children and grandchildren, and weekly golf games with his buddies. With three of his children attending the University of Southern California, Mike was an avid USC fan who attended all home football games, not only to cheer the team on, but to watch the game day performances of his USC Song Girl daughters, Julie and Mary. He had a passion for hiking and moutain cllimbing (reaching the summit of Mts. Whitney, Shasta, Hood, and Rainier, Yosemite's Half Dome, and Wyoming's Grand Teton), white water rafting (California's Kern and American Rivers, Idaho's Snake and Salmon Rivers, Colorado's Arkansas River, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, British Columbia's Kicking Horse River, and Costa Rica's Pacuare and General Rivers), scuba diving (Australia's Great Barrier Reef), ocean kayaking (Grand Bahamas), sky diving (Perris, CA) and paragliding (Whistler, B.C.) He left his children and grandchildren a legacy of love for the pursuit of adventure and discovery. Mike earned his private pilot's license, taking his first solo flight from Zamperini Field Airport in Torrance. He traveled extensively on road and train trips and river cruises with Patty, his children, and grandchildren throughout the United States, Canada, and Alaska, and he journeyed outside the continent with his children, to Hawaii, Cancun, Italy, Costa Rica, the Grand Bahamas, Tahiti, and Australia. Mike is survived by Patty; his seven children, John, Christopher, Michael, Andrew, Julie Eugenio, Mary Young, and Patricia Morin; his fourteen grandchildren, Jennifer Smith, Carolyn Muhlenkamp, Michael Mortl, Brittney Eugenio, Ryan Eugenio, Casey Eugenio, David Eugenio, Jr., Phillip Mortl, Nicholas Mortl, Malia Young, Alani Young, Marissa Mortl, Eric Mortl, and Roman Morin; his five great-grandchildren, Eva Muhlenkamp, Audrey Muhlenkamp, June Muhlenkamp, Christopher Smith, and Jacob Smith; his sisters, Veronica Fashant and Joan Curtan, his brother, Thomas, and many loving nephews and nieces. Mike awoke each morning with his blue eyes smiling and on his lips a word of thanks for another day! That is how we will remember him! He will live in our hearts forever! In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mike's name to Habitat for Humanity. Please sign the guestbook at dailybreeze.com/obits. WL00190270-image-1.jpg