Michael Jurca

I came to know Mike Jurca when I was a design engineer at GM truck responsible for exterior body side moldings. Mike was a contact engineer for PTI, the company that supplied our moldings. We became friends when he invited Paula and I to join him and Trisha to go to a play. That turned into a friendship that has lasted for years. Actually, I had previously had classes with Mike at General Motors Institute in the early 1960s, but I didn´t really get to know him then. During that time, Mike was...

My first memory of Mike is when he took us to the circus. I remember this because it had a big impact on me; I had never been to one before. He was really fun! Also, I remember being shy and sitting behind a recliner afterward at home because he was sitting in it. I kept jumping up and playing with his hair. He had a bit of a comb-over back then! We joked it was his bridge. He definitely was the kind of person who encouraged you to be yourself, try new things and showed you new or creative...

Being 10 years older than I am, my "big" brother Michael was the greatest teacher for his "Stinky" little sister. He taught me to ski. He bought me my first powder-blue ski outfit for Christmas and took me to Alpine Valley. He never scolded or got frustrated with my falls, but encouraged me to keep trying. Michael taught me to lighten up about life. Be silly! (I was a serious teen.) He had this weird plastic eye piece that looked like an enlarged eyeball. He'd put it on, squint and peer...

When I was little and feeling upset that my father walked out of my life. He stepped up when he didn't have to. He took me to daddy-daughter dances, something I thought I couldn't do. He showed me all different kinds of food. Even the strangest ones that people don't normally think to eat. This made me want to try every new and strange food at least once. We would build car models together. Making me realize how much I love to build and put things together. He's shown me so much that I'm very...