Michael Dwight Winton

In lieu of flowers, please make you donation to Kaiser Hospice 10080 North Wolfe Rd. S.W. 3-160 Cupertino, CA 95014. Attn: Diane Ringer (408) 342-6699
MICHAEL DWIGHT WINTON
JULY 8 1947 – NOVEMBER 1970


July 8th, 1947
The Roswell Newspaper & Fort Worth Press Conference
"At 2:26 P.M. the story is out on the AP wire. The story announces: "The army air forces here today announced a flying disc had been found."

The world news had it wrong!

It was the day that God chose to change Ray and Mildred Winton's family completely, and also the future of a beautiful young baby girl named Wendy Capps. On that day in Porterville Ca., Ray and Mildred had a baby boy born to them with large big brown eyes and long dark eyelashes named Michael 'Mike' Dwight Winton. He was the last one born into the family. His older brother Danny was 13 years old and was so happy to have a little brother. But Mike's sister Sue, was 8 years old, and cried when they told her because she wanted a baby sister to dress up and play with not another brother. But within a week, Mike took over her heart and there he stayed. Mike was born with a loving, caring and deep sincere way about himself, that he could get to a person heart fast. With Mike what you seen is what you got.

Mike being the very inquisitive child that he was, always wanted to know everything about anything. He was constantly questioning his Dad or big brother Danny. Anything mechanical or working and creating with wood was what he enjoyed learning about. Mike was very talented in both areas and used the training he got as a child to be able to work on and fix almost anything mechanical that he touched. Even later in his life when building his home for his family, he went to the library and checked out books on electrical wiring and plumbing for constructing a house, and passed all the codes with the building inspector. The inspector told Mike he did one of the best wiring jobs he had ever inspected!!

At an early age Mike showed his talent as an Entrepreneur. He was in the 5th grade when he started his first business… a shoe shine business. After he got out of school each day, he would take his shoeshine box and go to the little drive inn restaurant at the end of the street where we lived. The owner was so impressed with him that he let him come inside the restaurant and set up his little shoe shine shop. Mike had quite a cliental of people getting their shoes shined. He charged 10 cents, but the tips were usually 25-50 cents, because Mike really put all his effort into making sure each shine was perfect and his customer was pleased!

Not only was Mike an Entrepreneur in his youth, but he also was a "girl catcher "for his big brother Dan when he was only 2-3 years old. Dan was still in high school and after school he would pick up Mike and take him to the local malt shop and sit Mike on the hood of his car, and all the girls would come over and "ooh and ahhh" about how cute Mike was. Naturally Danny got his share of the girls' attention when he had Mike with him!

In 1954 the family moved to Albuquerque for Dads trucks to work on the highway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque New Mexico. While living there next to a small oil refinery, Mike gave everyone a huge scare. He went outside to play with his dog, and when he was called to come into the house, he couldn't be found. The family went on a frantic search around the house and the yard but…no Mike! So Dad went over to the refinery that had an open oil pit and he proceeded to take a stick and probe the bottom of the pit. Tears were flowing with fear, but thankfully he wasn't there as a "giggle" was heard from under a canvas that Danny was standing close to. Danny lifted the canvas and there was the dog and Mike with a big grin and giggling. Dad took him out of his hiding place and took him to the "spanking place" ( the bathroom ) in the house and gave him a well deserved spanking. The rest of the family lined up wanting to take a turn, but wasn't allowed. The family lived in New Mexico for 3 years then returned to Porterville Ca. Mike was the man of the house in 1959, as Dad was hospitalized with TB, so Mike and Mom were home by themselves.

Mike was born with music in his bone's and loved listening to music. Mike was 16 years old when he got his electric guitar and formed a band. He and his band performed various events even on a flatbed truck at Moonlight Shopping Center. Watching Mike perform was so enjoyable because he just felt the music and you knew this by watching him move while playing. He was a good dancer as well as a musician. Borrowing a friends ID when Mike wasn't yet 21, he went with his sister to Winchester Cathedral in Redwood City to enjoy Sly and the Family Stone perform before they became famous. Also many fun nights were had at the Whiskey A GoGo in Sunnyvale Ca. as well as the Odyssey Room. Dad and Mom approved taking "The Kid" while under age because they knew how much he loved dancing and hearing the bands. Mike worn glasses at the time and he didn't want to walk into the night clubs wearing them so he would go in without them. He would look around as he sat at a table and ask Sue what some girl looked like that was dancing or sitting at a table she would tell him. Then looking very cool he would get up and ask them to dance. Sue took advantage one time of his vanity and wasn't really to truthful, so it would make him start wearing his glasses. It worked!

Mike was a special uncle to his nephews-great nephews and nieces as they were growing up and then as young men and women. Dan's son, Danny Winton Jr., and great nephew Wesley Winton. Danny Jr. grew up living in Visalia several hours away and was not able to spend as much time living so far away. The same happened with Wesley growing up as he too lived farther away. But the time Danny Jr and Mike had together, then and over the years, were special to Mike. He loved spending time with Danny as he had a great sense of humor and enjoyed the joking around with each other.

Mike was able to spend more time with his nieces, Andrea Gail and Tammy Rae, as they lived closer since they were babysat by Nana and Papa while Sue worked. Sue was divorced and Mike helped her with the girls while they grew up. He was a good substitute parent they could go to since Mike was closer in age and they could talk to him. Later years when Mike and Wendy were married, Mike was like a father to his great nephew, Joshua Ray Turner while he was growing up. Josh's father died when he was 3yrs old. Mike spent lots of time with Josh over his young years and as well as into his young adult years. While Josh was growing up he would ask for Uncle Mikes advice. Uncle Mike was a great influence in Josh's life as was Aunt Wendy. Mike had a loving relationship with all his nephew and nieces and as years went by when Wendy and he got married, Wendy's brother Dennis added to Mike's collection with Danielle, Nicole and Darren Capps. Each one could tell of their experience being with Uncle Mike of all the love, fun, and laughter when together.

MICHAEL DWIGHT WINTON
July 8, 1947 – November 20, 2010
From year 1970 to 2010
Compact Biography


In November of 1970 almost to the day, Mike and Wendy met at a place called the Odyssey Room in Sunnyvale. They danced all night and from that point on they danced through the Odyssey of life together.

Mike had been a Medic in the U.S. Air force. When he was discharged from the Service he was undecided what to do with his life. He and his father were driving large trucks to eleven Western States for Pittsburgh Desmoine Steel in Santa Clara. He knew he did not want to be in the trucking industry the rest of his life. Mike felt he had more he wanted to do with the education he had received. He had a choice to either go back to college and become a dentist or just change his profession altogether.

Meanwhile Wendy who was divorced by then and her two young children had entered into his life permanently. Mike was old fashioned in his ways and wanted Wendy to be a stay at home mom, like he was able to enjoy as a child. Wendy then had a choice to either manage an office machine company or quit and go on an adventure with Mike to Visalia, CA. She opted to make the move and Mike and Wendy got married in Visalia, (November 10, 1972) they became a family of four and Mike managed a Pizza Hut chain on Mooney Blvd.

It had been a big decision for Mike to marry Wendy because she could have no more children. He decided to take on the responsibility of not only being a husband but also instant father. During the past year of courtship Wendy's Mother had passed away in an accident and soon after their marriage Mikes father passed away. This was a great loss for both of them and helped bond them even closer. When Mikes father died he knew they had to move back to Santa Clara to help his mother after the death of her husband. So Mike packed up his new family and moved back to the bay area with a new Dog named Amos. They then settled in Santa Clara near his mom and sister.

The economy was going down hill a little and he was adamant that Wendy did not work while the children were young. So Mike went back to driving a truck for a construction company Santa Clara Transfer and worked a few years building the roads around Great America Theme Park until they closed. That was also in November of 1975. The economy was really bad by then and jobs were scarce that was the era we had gas lines at the gas stations. Work looked bleak for the near future. Meanwhile Mike and Wendy had been able to squeeze in and buy a home in Santa Clara. They had a great future brother in law, and sister that was starting up a business in Silicon Valley and gave Mike some work so he and his family could survive the bleak times. Between part time jobs and Wendy working for a temp agency only for a few months they struggled through. Wendy had tried to get Mike to go back to school during his lay off and she was willing to work, but Mike being the man he was would not hear of it. He was going to provide for his family.

Then opportunities started happening in November of 1976 and Mike went to work for a company out of Irvine California called Anabolic Laboratories. Fifteen months later he started up his own company called Winton Distributing that would soon turn into Pinnacle Laboratories. He was the brain behind the nutritional products with his biochemistry background. He also decided to help new doctors set up their offices. He would buy the office equipment and lease it to the doctors for three to five years and sell it back to them for the sales tax. He then lured Wendy into helping him in the office with her knowledge in accounting and office skills. Mike was able to run the business out of his home for some time in the beginning. That's when his other skills started to materialize. There was not anything Mike could not do. If he did not know how to do something he would learn. He built their first office in 1979 along with extensive remodeling of the existing family home. Mike met a carpenter and his son named George Baer. George was an old time construction man that could do just about anything. He helped Mike build and remodel his first home then helped with his second home many years later.

In 1985 Mike and Wendy were able to buy approximately four acres of land in the County of Santa Clara near Milpitas. Meanwhile his daughter Kimberlie Cerda was graduating High School and was pursuing the health field in college. Aaron was still in High School and helped with the construction of the new home. Mike was determined to teach his two children all the skills his dad had taught him and more. Aaron would come up to help after school sometimes with friends. Mike and his dog would head up the hill every morning to go to work on a project he just loved. Wendy started running the business during this time to help out then go up to the building site after work.

Mikes mother who was a big part of all our lives was living with them by then and they built her a room in the home. She also would come up with her brother Merlin his wife Bobby and friend Flo to help clean up nails all around the building site. His mother was very proud of her son and got to see him prosper. She, herself, invented what they think is the first magnetic nail picker upper…. for construction sites.

In March of 1987 the family moved into the home. Aaron and Kimberlie both were adventuring out on his and hers own paths in life. So Mike, Wendy and Mildred were in a beautiful home with separate office and workshop. A few years later Thadd Winton, Aaron's son joined them. They had a lot to share. Through the years Mike and Wendy enjoyed working on creating the living environment they were fortunate to be in. Mike enjoyed every minute of time spent on his property with his family. Thadd then was the one he wanted to pass his skills down to.

Michael Winton may not of had children of his own to pass his genes down to and that is why he was adamant and compassionate bout passing his knowledge on to not only his children, Kimberlie, Aaron and Thadd, but also his nephew Joshua Turner. Mike always felt Kimberlie, Aaron, Thadd and Josh would someday use the tools he passed on to each one of them in their own lives.

Mike was a very compassionate and loving person filled with drive, determination and a very strong will.
Michael's father in law Col. Robert S. Capps always called him a Genius!
As Michael's mother Mildred always stated "God broke the mold when he made him"…