Michael Robert Soderman

Falkensee, Germany - Michael Robert (Mike) Soderman, 65, passed away in Falkensee, Germany, on October 23, 2025. He was born on June 24, 1960, in Owosso, Michigan, and attended Waverly High School in Lansing, Michigan.

While in high school, Mike participated in the Youth for Understanding International Exchange program, traveling to Wolfsburg, Germany, where he attended a Gymnasium, played hockey, and developed his deep love for the country. He returned from Germany to finish high school and became an outstanding hockey player. While an undergraduate at Michigan State University and earning a degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), he took courses in Russian and German. In 2002, with Allan Waer, he translated Beck-Sickenger and Weber's Combinational Strategies in Biology and Chemistry into German.

Mike earned two graduate degrees at Michigan State: A Master of Electrical Engineering (MSEE) in 1987 and a Master of Business Administration/Finance (MBA) in 1988. He then went on to earn a Juris Doctor/Law (JD) at the University of Akron in 1999. He passed the Florida Bar in 2001 and subsequently became a member of the Brandenburg Bar Association in Germany, where he was a registered patent attorney, practicing law in Berlin until his death.

He is survived by his loving companion Angela Bartsch of Berlin, Germany, his mother Anne Keil Soderman of Scottsdale, Arizona, sister Randi Soderman Cook (Brian) of Scottsdale, Arizona, brother John Erik Soderman of Oldsmar, Florida, nephew Alexander G Soderman of Palm Harbor, Florida, cousin John Peters of Muskegon, Michigan, and cousin Norah Hansen of Hampton, New Hampshire. He was predeceased by his father Robert Lewis Soderman in 2013. Mike will be remembered for his intellect, his quest to learn, and his GREAT sense of humor. A family celebration of life will take place in Palm Harbor, Florida, in November 2025.