Duane M. "Mike" Carey

Duane Myron Mike Carey, of Urbana, was born on May 18, 1930 and died Wednesday, June 17, 2015 in Mercy McAuley Center, Urbana. Today, Mike Carey went to his eternal rest in the arms of his Heavenly Father and all of us left behind take comfort knowing that in his very special place in Heaven, he has been reunited with his mom Mary, dad Lowell, brother Bill, sister Joan and son Paul. His wife of 60 years, Barbara, children Kathy (Randy) Jones of CO, Duane (Toni) Carey of OH and Mark Carey of FL and his grandchildren Marcus (Ashley K.) Carey of TX, Ashley M. Carey of TN and Alexander J. Carey of TN, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews loved him dearly and pray for him that Heaven is filled with golf courses to play and squirrels to chase. Mike was defined most by his love for his family and this country along with his passion for serving others that required him to always leave things a little better than he found them. From his time as a soldier with the United States Army (WWII era veteran), through a 40-plus year distinguished working career in service to the likes of Ford Motor Company, True Temper Corporation, Spencerville City Schools, Columbus Public Schools and Urbana University; he taught us all the values of hard work, passion, perseverance, integrity and serving others above ones self. Mike loved golf, baseball, OSU football, coaching, teaching, leading organizations and fixing things. Sometimes challenges would present themselves and, although he really did not know immediately how to address them, he never stopped working as hard and long as was necessary to get the job done. Over the course of his life, Mike served in leadership positions with the Moose Lodge, Lions Club International, FOE, American Legion, VFW and Champaign Residential Services Inc. (CRSI). It was his service to CRSI that served as a fitting capstone to his life of community service, as he was an immensely proud member of their Board of Trustees for the better part of the last 26 years. He passionately supported their mission and dearly loved their people. He was a lifetime member of the Spencerville VFW and the DAV in Urbana. He was active with United Way and served on the allocations committee for many years. Mike valued education almost as much as he did serving others and was very proud to be able to see his wife, kids and grandkids all graduate, at least once, from college. The pride and joy he took in his family was rivaled by the pride he took in his military service. One of the very best days of his life came in his later years when he was included in an Honor Flight and was escorted to Washington, DC for a special tour of the Memorials. To watch him tell the story of those couple of days was to look into the eyes of a true patriot and see what it looks like to love this country. The family would like to offer a special thanks to the incredible people at the McAuley Center and Community Mercy Hospice for their loving care as they and Mike battled his Dementia until there was no more fight left. Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2015 in the WALTER & STOWE FUNERAL HOME, Urbana, where a Life Service will take place at 11 a.m. Finally, a private family burial will be held in Hartford Cemetery, Spencerville, OH, his hometown, with assistance from Bayliff Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please honor this great man with your gifts in his name to Champaign Residential Services, 1150 Scioto St., Suite 100, P.O. Box 29, Urbana, OH 43078 or Community Mercy Hospice, 444 W. Harding Road, Springfield, OH 45504. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.walterfunerals.com.