Michael C. Unger

On August 18, 2021, Michael C. Unger passed away peacefully at the age of 68, after a long battle with lung disease. Although he left this world sooner than we would have liked, he fought hard to stay with us as long as he could, and he never let the disease keep him from doing what he wanted to. Being the only son of a farm equipment dealer, he learned to repair almost anything. Whether it was an old car, small engine, boat, or appliance, he could make anything work again or work better. Everything could always be made “new” or more powerful, and there was always a new tool he needed for the job. Whether it was purchasing a tiny travel trailer and completely redoing it to be able to move his family to South Texas from Springfield, CO, to making a 21-foot sailboat from a kit with his dad, to restoring a 1976 Morris Garage series B (MGB) and a 1968 Camaro, he could tear anything down to every individual piece and rebuild them from scratch. He would do all the electrical work, metal work, interior work, etc.—if he didn’t know how to do something then he was committed to learning how to do it and doing it better than it was done before. Now sometimes his ingenuity on how to make things more powerful and better didn’t always work out as he planned, or he missed an essential instruction step. For example, if he wanted to kill the wasps behind the shutters on the second floor of the house then he would create a way to put 120 lbs. of pressure to a spray gun to shoot powdered insect dust that far, which only ended in the shutters falling off the house and the wasps chasing him. Or when the regulator on the nitrogen tank in the garage was not put on right and it became over pressurized and shot off through the garage ceiling and out the roof. But these times were few and far between, the repair bills were minimal—and we enjoyed a good laugh! He lived in Springfield, CO until 1981 when he moved to Corpus Christi, TX in search of warmer weather and the ability to go fishing whenever he wanted. In 1991, he was promoted by the Hoover Company and transferred to New Orleans/Mandeville, LA where he enjoyed great food and amazing friends. In 1997, he took a promotion to headquarters in Canton, OH where he was able to finally finish his bachelors degree in Business Management, as he had always wanted to do. In 2007, he relocated to Windermere, FL and spent the last 14 years enjoying the sunshine, the pool and working in his garage. Mike was born in Newton, KS to Joan (Hein) and Cliff Unger and graduated from Springfield High School in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly (King) Unger, stepsons Trenton and Wyatt Warnick, his daughter Jennifer (Ward) Eaton, grandchildren Thad and Landon Eaton and his three sisters, Sandy (Dan) Gunkel, Candy (Joe) Derrick, and Angie (Chris) Burkholter and their families. Mike was the best father a daughter could ever have, a loved and cherished husband, an amazing and wonderful grandfather and friend to everyone. Although he could fix anything, unfortunately he cannot fix the hole in our hearts from his passing. However, the amazing memories of our time with him fishing, sailing, traveling, skiing, riding motorcycles or just sitting around having a glass of wine will eventually fill that void and give us peace. Everyone that knew him was touched by his love and made better by knowing him—he will be forever missed. No formal memorial service will occur, as Mike requested a small family gathering to celebrate his life. In lieu of gifts, memorial donations can be made to Advent Health-Orlando Pulmonary Care Program.

Michael C. Unger

July 22, 1953 - August 18, 2021