Michael D. SWEENEY

1937 - 2024

(Age 86)

Michael "Mike" D. Sweeney, of Spokane, WA, passed away peacefully early Saturday morning, June 8, 2024.

Mike was born November 27, 1937, in Torrence, CA. He was raised in Moses Lake, WA. As a small town, it revered its high school football team. Mike started as a sophomore and played both offense and defense for three years. By his senior year, he secured a scholarship to play for Western Washington University. He met the love of his life, Nancy, during his second year of college and they married a year later, August 7, 1958.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, Mike was hired by Boeing in 1959. He worked for three years in their helicopter division in Ridley Park, PA. In 1966, he transferred back to the Seattle area to join a team tasked with overseeing the production line for Boeing's 747. Their fabrication and production facility, located in Everette, WA, was and still is the world's largest manufacturing building covering over 98 acres. Mike was very proud and honored to be part of Boeing's history.

Escalating conflict in the Middle East caused oil prices to rise and a mild recession in 1969. One of the hardest hit areas of the economic slowdown was the commercial airline industry. Boeing laid off over 70,000 employees in the Seattle area between 1969 and 1970. Mike had several options to continue his career in the aerospace industry. All of them required relocating his wife and five children to the east coast. As an alternative, he looked for business and work opportunities in Eastern Washington.



In August of 1970, he purchased a bowling alley and moved his family to Sunnyside, WA, a small town in the Yakima Valley. Mike and Nancy had spent many formative years in the Yakima Valley and Tri-City Basin area. It was close to family and friends. They also preferred the dryer climate. More importantly, they felt more comfortable raising their five children in a smaller community. Mike worked hard and the business thrived.



Nearly six years later, a semi-retired professional bowler offered to purchase the business at a price that was too good to pass up. Concurrently, an opportunity to join a consulting group in Spokane looking for someone with his background became available. Mike sold the business and purchased a home on the South Hill of Spokane, WA.



In retrospect, Mike and Nancy were young parents and very active in their children's and grandchildren's lives. They both wanted big families. He often told his five children, and their spouses, that the doctor had medically cleared him for more grandkids. Mike coached little league baseball for a number of years and was an active spectator at all others.

Mike loved studying history and was a life-long aeronautics enthusiast. He believed planes were some of the most majestic and beautiful machines in the world. He enjoyed telling the story of aviation starting with the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.

After his wife passed away in 2016, he started looking for a job to stay busy. Mike had a good sense of business and started working part-time at his son and daughter-in-law's accounting practice. He was a quick study and learned basic accounting and bookkeeping. He enjoyed having someplace to go for 4 or 5 hours a day during the week. He loved learning how to fix things on YouTube and became very handy around the office and at home. Mike was well-liked and respected in the office by clients and staff members. He took pride in dressing well, had a great attitude, and was always looking to help.

Mike was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Nancy, as well as his third son, Chris. Mike Sweeney is survived by his four children: Greg Sweeney and his wife Dianna, Tamara Sweeney, Dr. Shawn Sweeney, and youngest son, Brian Sweeney. His four children live in Spokane. He is also survived by fifteen grandchildren: Tyler, Joe, and Ryan Byers; Brandon, Dr. Adam, Kayla, Alisha, Josh, Ben, Nick, Collin, Krystin, Dylan, Tabatha, Samantha, and Blake Sweeney; as well as eight young, energetic, and beautiful great-grandchildren.

Mike is also survived by his older brother, Colonel William T. Sweeney, USMC-Richmond, VA; seven nephews: Timmy, Stephen, Danny, Andrew, Mecham, Ian, and Michael; and three nieces: Kathleen, Bridget, and Saretta. In addition, he is survived by his wife's older sister, Adel; three nieces: Elizabeth, Kristine, and Jennifer; and one nephew: James.

There will be a Memorial Service at Spokane-Cheney Memorial Gardens, located at 5909 Cheney Spokane Road, Spokane, WA 99224, on Tuesday, July 2, at 12:30 p.m. A celebration of life will follow at Mike's home of nearly 50 years in Spokane.