Michael David "Mikey" Niese

1987 - 2025

Michael David Niese, born June 30, 1987, was our very own angel on earth. After 38 years of unwavering strength and courage, he decided it was his time to join the heavenly angels on Nov. 12, 2025.
"Mikey," as he was affectionately known, passed peacefully at home in his sleep the same night that the Aurora set the sky ablaze with dancing angels in the most spectacular display of recent memory. He passed just as he wished - at home with his family, in his bed, next to his aquarium and surrounded by his favorite mementoes.
As we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the love, joy, and kindness that were the essence of Mikey's being. He taught us all how to love unconditionally. He had a rare gift for making others smile and laugh, leaving a lasting impact on all who crossed his path. He could make the sun shine when the sky was full of nothing but clouds - he simply asked the other angels to make it so.
Michael was born at Seattle Children's Hospital but was and always will be a Golden Heart City resident. Michael graduated from Lathrop High School in 2006, where his favorite classes were art and geography.
Family get-togethers for holidays and any occasion where people gathered delighted him. Mike always wanted to help others. He absolutely loved being in the kitchen with his mother, helping to make his favorites: chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, cheesecake cupcakes, his signature spinach dip, and deviled eggs - which we affectionately termed angel eggs because he made them. He even found joy in doing what most of us consider chores! For the past year, Michael's favorite "chore" was planning, designing, and even completing a renovation of his father's home.
Michael's favorite joys were all found in the selfless and simple parts of life: hearing another person laugh, watching children play, holding babies, seeing the birds eat from a feeder outside his window, and watching his fish. These were the highlights of each day: moments of simple gratitude and peace.
He loved sunsets - especially waterfront sunsets - on the Chena, at Harding, and best of all, beachside in Hawaii. His favorite vacations were those to Hawaii and a special visit to see his, godmother, great-aunt Susy, in Portland.
Endlessly filled with overwhelming, infectious joy, Michael never had a mean thought or a bad day. He was never once sad for himself. He was sad or cried only when the people he loved were somehow hurting. And he would do everything in his power to make them feel better. We were all blessed to know him. Many have said that just by being with him they could sense that God was present with him. When he saw a friend - anyone he knew at all really - his face would light up. He was excited to give his most enthusiastic greeting: his signature high in the sky "two thumbs up!"
Michael's purpose was to share that joy, love, kindness to all, and to teach others to do the same. There is so much to learn and appreciate about earthly angels like Michael. Michael was even teaching doctors about angels like him before he was born and that we can never measure or underestimate a person's will to live.
His journey on this earth was truly one marked by the purest love, kindness and compassion, infinitely brightening the lives of all who had the privilege to know him. Each one of you brightened his life too. Michael adored all the supports he had in this community. There are just too many persons to name that have played a part in getting Michael to "the ripe old age of 38" - doctors, nurses, professors of medicine, pharmacists, care providers, case managers and related agencies. Care providers became family, instrumental in Mikey's daily life, but so much more than that - they were true companions to him - especially his "brother from another mother," Isaac Wright. The insurance from the Operating Engineers Local 302 that extended to Michael through his adult years was a blessing. Without that nonrestrictive insurance Michael's time here would likely have been much shorter.
Michael is survived by his father, Gary Niese; mother and tireless advocate, Marie Vaught Franich and her husband, his "Papa John" Franich; sisters, Heather Brown (Garrett Aragon), Christy Vaught, Morgan Phillips (Jason); brothers, Aaron Franich, Ben Franich (Casey); nieces and nephews, Araya and Avery Aragon; Ariel, Joseph, Johnny and Alex Herman; Joel, Joey and Rylee Phillips; and Autumn and Kira Franich. This is the short-list. Michael's family was large and well-blended - all are his family.
Michael touched the lives of everyone who had the honor of knowing him, leaving behind his own legacy of love and compassion that lives on in all of us, and the profound impact that Michael has had on the lives of the many others whose medical triumphs can be attributed to the miles of roads that Michael paved first.
If anyone wishes to support Michael's very real medical legacy, donations may be made in his memory to the Seattle Children's Hospital "Developmental Medicine Research Fund." Donations may be made online at seattlechildrens.org/giving/honor-loved-one/; by phone call to 206-987-4844 or 800-635-1432; or by mail to: Seattle Children's Foundation at M/S 818-FPO, PO Box 5371, Seattle, WA 98145-5005.
A celebration of Michael's life will be held at a future date, near his birthday, a date we have always enthusiastically celebrated.
Although Michael's physical presence may no longer grace our lives, his spirit will continue to inspire and uplift us. May his memory be a blessing, and may we carry forth his legacy of courage, love and compassion in all that we do.