Michael Pickering

1942 - 2017

Michael Pickering
Aug. 3, 1942 - Jan. 24, 2017
Resident of Palo Alto
Michael Vernon Pickering passed away at home with his family on January 24, 2017, after a brief illness. Michael was born in Oklahoma in 1942. He moved with his extended family to California at an early age and grew up in the Los Angeles area. He moved north to attend St. Mary's College in Moraga and resided mostly in the San Francisco Bay area for the rest of his life. After teaching in high school, Michael returned to school to pursue his interest in chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1974 from the Oregon Graduate Center. Michael spent most of his career founding and nurturing his company, Pickering Laboratories, Inc. His idea was to build a company which would help find solutions to analytical problems in the lab, all the while providing a comfortable, fulfilling place to work. Pickering Laboratories is now entering its 35th year and is a world leader in post column analysis.
Michael was a truly unique person. His native curiosity led to his love of science. Chemistry gave him the tools to further his understanding of how the world works. Michael also loved the beauty of art and nature. He was able to combine an artist's eye with his technical knowledge to craft creative solutions to everything and anything. Creativity and chemistry led him to cooking. He had a flair for combining flavor and texture to bring delicious meals to the table daily. As the kids left home, they all remarked that what they missed most was their Dad's cooking. Vegetable gardening was also a passion. Being able to eat fresh from the garden was a given. Someone once asked if he saved money by growing his own vegetables to which he replied, "That's not the point."
He loved words and spent many hours working on his crossword puzzles. He enjoyed all kinds of literature, and especially enjoyed the elegance of Haiku and penned many poems. Michael loved conversation and story telling. His extensive, broad based knowledge provided a wide range of subjects for him to converse. He suffered a stroke in 2014 left him with some verbal obstacles but he was still an entertaining and lively participant in any discussion.
Michael leaves his wife of 40 years, Judy, his four children: Damian Pickering, Jennifer (Robert) Witter, Megan (Timothy) Nolan, and Lillian Pickering, and six grandchildren: Tatum, Zoe and Kellan Witter, Tululah Pickering, & Brahm and Kiera Nolan.
A celebration of life will be held for Michael on Friday, March 17th at 4PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to POST-Peninsula Open Space Trust, 222 High St., Palo Alto.


View the online memorial for Michael Pickering