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Michael Rains Obituary
1959 - 2024
Michael Gerald Rains born in Bakersfield, Calif. Jan. 30, 1959, suddenly passed away in Flagstaff Ariz. Sept 24 of 2024. Mike grew up in Mission Hills, Calif, graduating from Cabrillo High School in 1977. Surviving loved ones include children April, Christina, Sheri and Lisa Marie Rains also Sister Lisa Kesteren of Lompoc, Calif. Brothers Kevin Rains of Elko, Nevada and Arnold Rains of Sandpoint, Idaho. Mike leaves behind many beloved grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. His loving mother, Janice Rains, preceded Mike in death in May 2017. Father Gerald Rains of Mission Hills, California, though heartbroken, finds solace in the day of their reuniting.
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Memories and Condolences
for Michael Rains
5 Entries
David A
May 24, 2025
When I had first heard about Mike´s passing, I thought of the vastly different paths in life we took when we started high school, yet I couldn´t help but reflect of the nostalgic multitude of memories of our boyhood in grade school+.
It was on this day, 53 years ago, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in 1972 when Mike had just completed the 7th grade and I the 6th. The engine on our 1962 Ford galaxy 500 had recently blown and my dad needed to buy a replacement vehicle and he bought a newly introduced small Chevy pickup, a Chevy Luv. My Dad needed a road trip to break in the drivetrain and called Gerald, whom they were only a year apart in age, to ride along with him and have us boys ride in the bed of the pick up the 250+ miles each way up to Dinky Creek and back. It was a typical Memorial Day weekend with it being in the upper 90s, and so Mike and I only had T-shirts on with the wind crazily blowing our hair as we watched the world going by. I think we might´ve brought a windbreaker or sweatshirt and that was about it... We did bring along our "mild weather" sleeping bags to act as a mat for the bottom of the pick up bed for the ride.
We bounce along for the first four hours of the ride into Fresno and as we started climbing the hills and into the mountains, it just kept getting colder and colder as we meandered our way up to the almost 6000´ elevation.
This had been a healthy snow year, and we arrived at Dinky Creek with the sun already set and there in the shadows with snow piles around, it was downright cold for these two Central Coast boys shaking and shivering and couldn´t wait for the long bumpy ride back, just to get away from that cold!
We climbed into our sleeping bags with all of our little bit of clothes and shoes & socks on, and froze for the next hour until we got down where it was warm again, then we just laid there with our hands under our heads and watched the night sky and stars as we bounced our way back home,
Whew, wutta Road Trip!
Cathy and Jeff Mcconnaughey
May 15, 2025
Rest in Peace Mike, sending prayers and hugs to the family The McConnaughey family
Kevin
May 14, 2025
The Hartley´s
May 14, 2025
To family, so very sorry to hear this.
Lots of memories of past years of "hanging out" at the Rains house with all the kids; ours and theirs.
Peter Dyer
May 14, 2025
RIP Mike
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