Donald Charles "Mic" Micka

Donald "Mic" Charles Micka was born in St. Louis on May 14, 1930, to Rose and Edward Micka, the youngest of four children. He graduated from Webster Groves High School before serving in the Army during the Korean War, earning the rank of lieutenant. After the war, Mic attended Washington University in St. Louis, studying petroleum engineering, before finishing his degree at the Missouri School of Mines in 1958. Upon graduating, he accepted a job with Mobil Oil, where he spent the remainder of his career. Mic married Mary Ann "Robin" Robbins in 1952. They had two children, Matt and Janet. Mic's work took the family from Oklahoma, to Texas, to Venezuela, and eventually New Orleans, where Mic worked from 1973 until retirement. Robin passed away in 2003 at the age of 72. Mic was an outdoorsman who loved to fish, hunt, and golf. He will be remembered for his infectious sense of humor ("When God passed out noses, you thought he said roses and you asked for a big red one") and spontaneous generosity. In Venezuela, he carried baseball equipment in the back of his car to give to local children he encountered playing baseball on empty lots. In his later years, he would travel with suitcases brimming with Mardi Gras beads to shower on children and adults alike. He also dedicated many volunteer hours helping to maintain St. Frances Cabrini Church in New Orleans, including a complete renovation and repainting in the early 2000s. Just prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mic joined a grief counseling group for people who had lost loved ones. There, he met Josie Orihuela. They became friends/partners for life. Mic made Metairie his new home, and in 2009, he picked up the hobby of constructing birdhouses. By the time of his death, he had made over 2,000 of them, gifting them to family, neighbors, or anyone he thought needed one. He became known as "the Birdman of Metairie," riding his bike throughout the neighborhood, always bringing birdhouses to give away. Mic passed away on January 28 at the age of 92 at his home in Metairie. Mic is survived by his friend Josie; his children, Matt and Janet; two grandsons, Karl and Kieran; and his great-granddaughter, Lenore. He also leaves behind an adoring extended family of nieces and nephews, as well as Josie's daughter, Gloria, and grandson, Brennan.