by Bill Horrocks

We are truly blessed to have known Michael.    He was one of those special people you rarely meet in life, that touch you so deeply, that you feel enriched after having been with him.  When you met Michael you were instantly impressed by how genuine he was, and his ability to make you feel at ease.  We are extremely fortunate that he was with us for 38 years.  He touched our lives in so many ways. 

He treated each day as a gift, and lived every day to its fullest.  He had a genuine appreciation for the small things in life.  He turned everything he did into an enjoyable experience, whether it was doing work around the house or doing a crossword puzzle.  He was never in a rush and never took risks.  He new there was no reason to take risks when life was so precious.

He was one of the most caring and compassionate people you could ever meet.  As a father, his children were his pride and joy.  He balanced his discipline with them with a clear understanding that they’re young for a very short time.  He made it fun for them to brush their teeth and sang to them to get them up in the morning.  Michael spent more quality time with his kids than most of us can dream of.  Christa and Mick, you are the most amazing thing that ever happened to your dad.  You got the best and the most from him.  You both carry so much of your daddy in you that you will be a constant reminder of him.

Michael loved Miriam with his whole heart.  There was no one Michael wanted to bring more happiness to than Miriam.  No one laughed more with Michael than Miriam.  She was his soul mate and constant companion.  They were inseparable.

To our mom and dad Michael was special.   His was a constant source of pride and joy.  To his mom he was “Michael the Lover.”    His performance on the football field, in the Marines, and as friend, husband and father was a direct reflection of the kind of love and values our parents gave to us as kids.

Being a Marine gave Michael a sense of pride in being the best and doing his best.  He loved being part of a team that would do anything for each other.    He had basic, old-fashioned values of loving God, family and country.

He enjoyed being with his friends.  Everywhere he went he built a new circle of incredibly dedicated friends.  From Hershey High to West Chester University, to the Marines, to United, to the friends and neighbors that completed his front walk on Saturday.  They are the most caring, beautiful group of people you will ever meet. 

His word was as good as gold.  If he said he was going to do something   you could be 100% certain he was going to do it.  He never took himself too seriously, always allowing his friends and family to poke fun at him or make him the butt of the joke.    He had a quiet confidence, a coolness that everyone admired and gravitated towards.  He always handled pressure with ease and was ready to step up to any challenge, but rarely issued one.

He loved to fish from the time he was old enough to cast a rod.  And he loved his boat, the one he searched for for months, combing dozens of used boat magazines.    The one he refitted, and endlessly obsessed over the right motor options, while the boat sat on dry land for two summers. 

The serenity and beauty of the water never went unappreciated.  We would surf fish for hours.  We wouldn’t talk much; we’d just stand next to each other holding our fishing poles, and watch the sun rise up over the ocean.  We hardly ever caught anything worthwhile; it was a bonus if we did.

He chose his career because it was one that afforded him the time to focus on his family, enjoy his hobbies, and to get paid for doing something he loved.  He would say he didn’t want for anything.

Laughter was the key to Michael’s soul.  He loved to laugh and to make others laugh.  He loved practical jokes and to rib anyone who could take a ribbing.  His sharp wit could find humor in the most mundane activities and he was the one person you could count on to make you belly laugh. 

Michael had an old soul.  A soul that understood that life is a gift and that every moment should be enjoyed to its fullest.  A soul that learned to love the journey, not just the destination.  A soul that existed in peace and serenity because he lived his life to its fullest while enriching everyone he came into contact with.

Michael will speak to us every day.  Listen.  He will be to telling us that there is nothing certain in life but today, right here, right now.  Enjoy every moment of the present.  Take time to smell the crisp fall air and appreciate the color of the autumn leaves.  Live life with passion and joy.  Laugh.     Laugh often and loud.  And above everything else love, love god, your family and friends, and your country.

He was our pride and joy, our friend and companion, our boundless source of love and laughter, our angel.

He has always been, and will always be, our hero!

Your loving brother,

Bill  

About Daddy:  by Christa

Daddy was a great man. 

He was such fun to play with and be with. 

I know he’s watching over us in heaven and he’ll be there until we join him one day.

I’m glad Daddy taught me all those nature things.  Because Daddy’s everywhere.

He’s in the trees, the ground, the sky, the leaves, the ocean and the air.

I can breathe Daddy in with a big deep breath.

Daddy made me feel happy and playful. 

He would want all of you to be happy and playful too.

When Daddy was away, he would send us big hugs through the phone.

Now we want to send Daddy big hugs !   HUGGGGGG!

And we love you up to the moon and back!

From David Horrocks

This service is not only a celebration of Michael's life, it is also a celebration of God's truth.

At a time like this, I think it is important to reaffirm and express those foundational principles of faith that have sustained our family over the decades and are, known to us or not, still sustaining us in a time like this.  For as much as our lives have been changing, these sustaining principles have not and will not.

We have discovered through our life's journey that there are times when what God permits to touch the lives of people of faith is so burdensome that it makes God's will seem distant, impersonal, and almost harsh.

But when the details and the methods of God's eternal will confuse us, making God Himself seem more distant than ever, the promises that God has taught us keep us confident that He is always close and caring, even especially close in times of suffering.

We have learned, as we were taught by the experience of Job, that we must not try to see and to understand God through the complexities and confusions of the sorrows of life, but rather we must deal with our sorrows by being sustained by what we already know to be true about the Lord.  It has been said that if we look at God through the circumstances of life, He seems distant and small; but when we look at life through the promises of God, He seems powerful and near.

There are three sustaining principles that we believe, by which we live, by which we face all of life.

The first one is that heaven awaits the child of God.

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go, or since I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

In that promise, Jesus Himself declared the fundamental issue of the Christian faith.  You believe in God, believe also in Me.

The mass that was just celebrated is the picture of the Gospel.  Jesus died for our sins and arose; and, if we believe in Him, we partake of His salvation.

Through our faith in Him, Jesus offers us His kinship on earth now and a residence in heaven forever.

Since we know that Michael had such a faith in Jesus, we are certain that his kinship on earth with Jesus is now being realized by his residence in heaven with Jesus.

Heaven awaits the child of God.


The second sustaining principle for our family is that rewards await the servant of God.

Some of the last words Jesus ever said are recorded in the book of Revelation, and last words are lasting words.

Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to every man according to what he has done."

In studying the life of Jesus as our model for living, we are continually instructed and reminded how incredibly important people were to Him.  Doing the works of God necessitates being a servant of others.  Jesus drove this lesson home when He taught, for as much as you do something for the least of these My brethren, you do it unto Me.

To serve God is to serve people.

As our family has reflected on our thoughts of Michael, every one of us agreed that he had a heart for people.  And anyone who has a heart for people will be a servant of people.  And the Christian who serves people serves Christ.

If you knew Michael, the evidence was clearly before you that the spirit of Christ was in him and that a love for people lived through him.

So we can be sure of this, his rewards in heaven now are a reflection of his good life on the earth all along.

So heaven awaits the child of God, and rewards await the servant of God.

The third principle by which we live and by which we endure is that reunion awaits the family of God.

In his letter to the church in the city of Thessalonica, the apostle Paul wrote, I want you to know that we will be united with those Christians who live in heaven.

That means that this life is a prelude, and the next life is the postlude.
This life is the journey; the next life is the destination.
This life is the challenge; the next life is the prize.

We live here; those who have died in Christ live there; but one day we will all live together with the Lord.

Heaven awaits the child of God.
Rewards await the servant of God
Reunion awaits the family of God.

These principles do not answer all the questions of life, but they do remind us that with God, this life has a purpose, in the next life we will have a place, and in all situations we can have hope.  I affirm these principles of faith for our family, and I commend them to all families.  Jesus lives, and may God be with you!