Michael Eugene Deardorff

Michael Eugene Deardorff ARLINGTON--Michael Eugene Deardorff passed away Tuesday, June 30, 2020. CELEBRATION OF LIFE: 11 a.m. Saturday, July 11, Wade Funeral Home, 4140 West Parkway, Arlington, Texas, 76013. In light of the current situation and being respectfully considerate of people's safety through this time we will be adhering to Wade Funeral Home's COVID-19 protocols. This will include limiting the number of people attending in order to provide safe social distances in the service. Wearing a mask is encouraged. However, we also will be able to welcome any family and friends to join us virtually as we will be live streaming the service and archiving it for later viewing. MEMORIALS: In honor of Mike's great love of the outdoors and animals, donations may be made in his name to the League of Animal Protectors (LAP), LAP, P.O. Box 823293, Dallas, TX 75382; www.Laprescue.org, a local rescue group that his daughter works with; or a charity of your choice in lieu of flowers. Michael was born Oct. 13, 1942, in York, Pa., to Hilda Oberdick Deardorff and Leroy Deardorff. He lived most of his life in Pennsylvania and moved to Texas to retire near family. He had a sister, Marnette Deardorff Sexton, and a brother, Steve Deardorff. Michael, known as "Mike" to his friends, graduated from Millersville State College with a BS in Secondary Education. Mike married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Ruth Reber, in October, 1961 and they had two children. His life's work was in sales and radio management. He was a gifted manager of people, teaching and mentoring with patience and grace. Besides his family, his greatest passion was practicing and teaching the martial art, Taekwon-Do. Mike held a 5th Degree (V Dan) Black Belt and spent years teaching and mentoring students of all ages. He was the respected senior in his dojang and lived by the Tenets of Taekwon-Do: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. He served in leadership positions in the church community and had a strong faith in God and country. Words that friends and family have used to describe him include leader, mentor and teacher. Mike believed that to plant a garden was to believe in tomorrow. His legacy to the world will be the flowers he has planted as he moved across the country. He was a master at building perfectly scaled models of his family and friends' homes. He loved fishing, camping and traveling the world with his wife, family and friends. Their favorite backpacking treks were into the Gila wilderness in New Mexico. Mike was a family man and was proud of his wife, children and grandchildren's accomplishments. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his grandsons. He was honored to mentor Michael in Taekwon-Do and enjoyed playing golf with Brendan. He will be missed by everyone who knew and loved him. SURVIVORS: Wife, Barbara Ruth Deardorff; his children, Scott Deardorff and his wife, Anna, and Christine Conn and her husband, John; grandchildren, Michael James Conn and Brendan Reber Conn; siblings, Marnette Deardorff Sexton and Steve Deardorff.