Michael Joseph Tate

Michael Joseph Tate
Date Of Birth: 10/16/1953
Date of Death: 07/30/2024
In loving memory of Micheal Joseph Tate.
Mike sadly left this life too early after his courageous, hard-fought 15 month battle with stomach cancer.
Mike loved all the seasons, but especially this time of year with the flowers blooming, his vegetable garden in full swing, warm summer breezes blowing through leaves of the trees and lots of daylight hours to spend adventuring in the great outdoors, with farmers markets to attend, his Harley Davidson motorcycle to ride, road-trips to take or simple evenings at home sitting in the backyard by the pool relishing in the evening with his wife, listening to music, and savoring her always delicious meals with his dogs by his side.
Mike was born October 16th, 1953 in Norfolk, Virginia, and was raised in Kansas, Illinois on the family farm until moving to Oregon when he was 13 years of age, where his mother had moved herself and her 5 children after losing Mike's father to complications from a car accident. He was the oldest of his 4 siblings and was always regarded as hard-working, creative, sincere, generous, passionate, and also a bit of a jokester, with a sense of humor that caused both smiles and sometimes a few groans simultaneously.
For 10 years, beginning in the early 1980's he worked for Nike, eventually as a manager in the warehouse, when Nike was a small company, sometimes hand-painting the swooshes on the shoes.
He was naturally a self-starter, always looking forward towards one day being a self employed business owner himself.
He eventually started his own landscape company, Mike Tate's Landscape Services, where he and Nancy owned and operated it for over 40 years. He installed and maintained many landscapes in the Portland/Beaverton OR area, had many long-time loyal customers. He was able to showcase and develop his love and interest for plants. His yard was his passion as well as his canvas, each plant artistically planted throughout, with not one season in the year that wasn't well displayed/highlighted throughout. The textures, colors, curves, and the design was a passion of his where he could show his creativity with plants. His passion for plants showed artistically in his own yard.
Mike loved the outdoors exploring and was always happiest when he could take time to be in the woods, on a river, a beach, in an ocean or along a trail. Whether it be fishing for sturgeon or salmon in Oregon, fishing for bottom-fish or catching a Marlin in Mexico, fishing for halibut, salmon or clam digging in Alaska, crabbing and clam digging on the Oregon Coast with family, hunting for Elk, foraging for mushrooms in the forest or taking his dog on a walk.
Most recently Mike had joined the Tigard 'Sunset Chapter' Harley Davidson Motorcycle group, where he enjoyed taking part as one of the Road Captains in the many rides the club took together and the camaraderie he always felt from those throughout. Most of Mike's adult life he owned and enjoyed a motorcycle.
Mike was the most devoted and loving husband to his wife Nancy of 43 1/2 years who he loved and cherished with all of his heart, an amazing father, inspiration and teacher to his two beautiful twin daughters, a fun-loving, enthusiastic grandfather "Grandpa/Grampy" to his 5 grandchildren, a business mentor and a loyal, helping friend to many.
Mike will be deeply missed by his wife Nancy, as she holds close many memories from the first time they met, fires and long walks on the beach, camping, vacations in Mexico, Hawaii and all along the West Coast, working in the yard together, always by each other's side, creating many enjoyable memories together.
Michael is survived by his loving wife, Nancy M Tate; his daughters, Tristin M Taylor and Tanya R Engh; grandchildren, Aspen R Taylor (Tristin), Finnegan H Engh (Tanya), Fox H DeBrine (Tristin), Hazel B DeBrine (Tristin), Primrose M DeBrine (Tristin); sister, Nancy A Egan, brother, Kevin K Tate and sister, Julie M Colombo. Micheal is preceded in death by his father, Thomas L Tate; mother, Joan L Duyck; and brother John M Tate.
A special honoring and celebration of Mike's life will be announced at a future time.