Michael William Gleason

Michael William Gleason (Mike), 73, was born on January 5, 1952, at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento to parents Wayne Robert Gleason and Billie Sue (Marlar) Gleason. He passed away in Merced, California, on August 20, 2025.

Mike was the second of four children and the only son. He is survived by sisters Susan Kay Mickley of Merced, Kelly Patricia Lawler of Kirkwood, Missouri, and Bridget Gae Hinrichs of Crestview, Florida. His parents are deceased.

Mike's father served in the United States Air Force for almost 25 years, which took the family to many Air Force bases across the country while Mike was growing up. As a result, Mike learned to make friends easily and was a very personable individual. In January 1966, the family was sent to Chateauroux Air Force Base in France where Mike attended boarding school. The family was in France in October 1966 when President Charles de Gaulle kicked all foreign military personnel out of the country. The family was then sent to Torrejon Air Force Base in Madrid. Mike relished exploring Madrid and particularly enjoyed visiting the Prado Museum.

Due to his father's many transfers, Mike attended four high schools. After he graduated from Atwater High School in 1970, he worked full-time at Central Market in Atwater and attended Merced College at night. In 1975, Mike relocated to Southern California where he began working for Ralphs Grocery Company. He quickly rose through Ralphs' management ranks and became a store director by 1980, a position he held for 31 years. During his career, Mike worked as a store director at a number of Ralphs stores throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. He retired in 2011.

Mike was an avid reader and for years he enjoyed The Wall Street Journal six mornings a week. He also pursued higher education. In 1991, Mike earned a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management from California State University, Long Beach. A few years later, he completed an MBA, also from CSULB.

In 1977, Mike married Paula Joanne Mayo of Le Grand. They settled in Huntington Beach where they lived until 2012. In 1991, Mike and Paula welcomed fraternal twins Erica Katherine Gleason and Sean Patrick Gleason. Erica now lives in Indianapolis and Sean lives in Portland. Following Paula's retirement in 2012, she and Mike moved to Merced to be closer to family and to escape the rat race that is Southern California.

For many years, Mike professed to be an atheist. In 1994, the Lord began to convict his heart, and several things occurred that led to Mike becoming a Christian. He was invited to a men's Bible study by one of his cigar friends; Paula asked him to attend a parenting class at a Huntington Beach church; and one Sunday, Erica innocently asked him, "Daddy, no go church?" Each of these occurrences played a part in Mike's conversion. With time, Mike began attending Promise Keepers stadium conferences and became a leader in the men's ministry at First Baptist Church of Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley. He also led FBC's annual turkey drive for the Truevine Missionary Baptist Churches in Compton and Lynwood.

In July 2004, Mike was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) and was given two to four years to live. By 2009, the cancer had spread to a lung. Following surgery, Mike began chemo. He continued receiving weekly chemotherapy until February 2025 at which point he stopped tolerating treatment. The cancer spread quickly after that, and he went into hospice in early June 2025.

Mike's family would like to thank Dr. Parminder Sidhu of Mercy Davis Cancer Center for his exceptional care over the years, as well as Hinds Hospice for their care during Mike's last months. We also deeply appreciate the pastoral care extended to Mike by Christian friends and family members.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 30 at 2:00p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church, located at 1920 Canal Street, Merced, California. A dessert reception will be held immediately following the memorial service. A private graveside service will be held at Plainsburg Cemetery near Le Grand, California.