Michael Joseph Scanlan

January 16, 1941 - June 18, 2025

Michael Joseph Scanlan, of Centennial, CO - CPA, Ph.D., professor, golfer, beer drinker, legal pad enthusiast, and proud husband, father, and grandfather - peacefully closed his final ledger and headed to the 19th Hole in the Sky on June 18, 2025. He was 84, but swore he didn't feel a day over 83.

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and raised in Cameron, Mike was a proud graduate of Cameron R-1 Schools (Class of 1959). He then attended the University of Missouri, where he joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (FIJI), forming friendships and memories that lasted a lifetime. He earned a B.S.B.A. and an M.A. in Accounting from the University of Missouri, followed by a Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation: "An Examination of Basic Audit Concepts As Applied to the Audit of Real Time Systems." Translation: he made auditing computers cool before it was cool.

He held academic appointments at the University of Missouri, Indiana University, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Denver. He even taught accounting to the U.S. Army Finance Corps at Fort Benjamin Harrison - making spreadsheets interesting to soldiers. That's not just smart - that's "art of the deal" smart.

Professionally, Mike served as Finance Director for the City of Columbia, Missouri, a role he held with pride (and frequent appearances on the local news). He then joined Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., where he took on national leadership roles - first relocating in 1977 to the firm's New York City office while living in Westport, Connecticut, and later transferring to Denver in 1979, where he and Tappy settled in Littleton, Colorado - a place they would call home for the next 45 years. At some point, the city decided to rename their neighborhood "Centennial," giving Mike the rare experience of moving without having to pack a single box.

After leaving Peat Marwick, Mike founded Scanlan & Associates, his own financial consulting firm, where he worked with clients across the country. He remained in private practice until his retirement - which, true to form, occurred approximately six hours after his death.

Mike had a talent for turning the dry into the delightful. He could dazzle a crowd with a budget presentation and somehow make a lecture on tax code feel like stand-up comedy - thanks to his exaggerated hand gestures and a grin that made you forget you were learning about amortization tables.

He never saved a contact on his phone (why bother?) but maintained an impeccably organized yellow legal pad of phone numbers that could rival the CIA's contact list.

He married Camilla "Tappy" Scanlan in 1965, and together they built a life of love, family, pie, and ice cream. He loved his two kids, Shelly and Clay - even if one of them (Clay) once publicly declared, "He can fix a city budget, but he can't fix a tricycle."

In the 1970s, Mike served as the official scorekeeper for the Mizzou Men's Basketball Team, working courtside with Coach Norm Stewart - fulfilling every sports-loving accountant's dream.

Mike was also an original member of the Lone Tree Golf Club when it opened in 1985. The friendships he formed there were like an extended family - and not just because they all knew who owed whom for the last round. He carded not one, not two, but three hole-in-ones in his golfing career: one at Lone Tree (date unknown, due to family record-keeping that didn't quite meet his standards), one at Raccoon Creek Golf Course on September 24, 2018, and one at the Los Sueños Marriott Golf Resort in Costa Rica on November 5, 2008. He insisted all three were "pure skill," though witnesses may have used the word "miracle."

Diagnosed with Parkinson's 10 years ago, Mike faced the challenge with characteristic pragmatism and an unwavering spirit. He never let it impede his love of cruising (traveling the world, one port at a time), golf (making the necessary adjustments, often with a wry smile), or life in general. He simply adjusted, adapted, and continued to enjoy every moment - refusing to let anything slow down his infectious laugh or his pursuit of a good time.

He was never happier than with a hot cup of coffee in the morning, a cold Budweiser at sunset, and Mizzou football in the fall - even if they were losing (which, let's be honest, at certain times, was often).

Mike is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Tappy; his daughter Shelly and son-in-law Brent Rogers; his son Clay and daughter-in-law Deborah Scanlan; grandchildren Camilla Rogers, Alex Rogers, Jack Scanlan, Michaela Scanlan, and Ashling Scanlan; his sister Mary Anne Jones; sister-in-law Glenda Scanlan; nephews Allen Jones and Matthew Scanlan and their families; and countless friends, students, and fellow budgeteers.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Gladys Scanlan; his brother, Charles Mack Scanlan; and his brother-in-law, Walter Thomas Jones.

Mike once said, "I love my family, friends, and the life I have been allowed to live with Tappy by my side for 59 years. Sorry about the last several."

We forgive you, Dad. You made every page of our lives better.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Lone Tree Golf Club, 9808 Sunningdale Blvd, Lone Tree, CO, at 4 PM on August 16, 2025. Bring stories and smiles to celebrate a life lived without regrets.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Joseph A. Silvoso Professorship in Accountancy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Checks should be made payable to the University of Missouri-Columbia, noting "memorial for Mike Scanlan for Silvoso Professorship" on the memo line, and mailed to: 407 Reynolds Alumni Center, Columbia, MO 65211.