Mike Wood
- Erica Papke
- Jan 25
- 4 min read
I lost a good friend earlier this month.
It makes me sad that Mike died but thankful that I was able to be his friend. I went to his wake where I tried to express to his kin how blessed I felt to be Mike's friend and meet his circle of friends and family. I only knew him for 4 years but from what I know and heard of Mike he lived life to the fullest with a IDGAf attitude. God Speed Mike and 8s or better in the hardwoods of heaven.
Shortly after I met Mike (hunting with Phil and Joel A.) he was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma. The prognosis was not good and rather than wallow in self-pity he decided to have a celebration of life for himself. Although I didn't know Mike well at the time, I went to his party with about 200 other people. The vibe and atmosphere resembled a wedding more than a funeral- it was a pretty amazing event. Of course Mike was there, looking weak and gaunt like a dying man, but his spirits were good as he said goodbye to all of his friends and relatives. I was sure that it was the last time I'd see him.
Amazingly, Roswell put him on some new medicine and within months he was getting better, put some weight back on eventually got back to a "normal" relatively healthy life. He would always say the medicine was not going to cure the cancer it was only going to prolong his life. At the time he said the doctors gave him one to three years. He was never under any delusion that he was going to live a long life. Rather he knew his time was limited so he went out and did what he loved doing which was hunting and spending time with his friends and family.
Last winter I went ice fishing with Mike and Frank P. Mike is the most talkative person I know and Frank is the quietest so the ride was interesting. Mike was taking edibles for his condition because he was trying to smoke less which made him even more talkative. We caught few fish but had a beer or 2, ate grilled venison hot dogs and listened to Mike's stories. He was always good for a story. My favorite Mike story is when one of his relatives (uncle?) asked him and his cousin to go get the uncle's boat from the Buffalo yacht club so it could be serviced. He tells the story that he and his cousin were in work clothes and walked right into the yacht club. Of course everyone is looking at them like who the hell are these two. They went down to the docks, got on the boat, started it up and backed out of the slip with a hundred eyes on them. As they drove by Mike yelled to those at the rail watching curiously: "Tell whoever owns this boat if he would just pay his bills this wouldn't happen". He said within seconds his phone rang and the uncle was MF-ing him in a serious way.
Mike came over a couple of times and we would play euchre with Chuckie and Toni and, of course, Toni fed us a home cooked meal. Mike taught me pinnacle and I taught him cribbage.
Last April (April 2025) Mike and I flew to Tennessee and I got my first turkey thanks to him. It was a great trip with many fond memories. We stayed at Joel's house where we played plenty of cards and had a good time. Mike went with me to visit the Franklin TN civil war battle site. I geeked out while Mike smoked and just hung out at the truck. That was the type of guy Mike was- he knew that I really wanted to check it out and he probably didn't but he was like let's go.
He said he knew things were not quite right with his body then. He slept a lot and you could tell he was getting weaker. He knew but kept up the positive attitude in the face of that daunting knowledge.
I was able to hunt with this Mike this deer season but he was very weak and although he had a hard time getting up into the Hilton stand, he did it and hunted all day and said it was a great day. We had a good time- although no one shot a deer. We had a nice home-cooked dinner at my house and played cribbage until Mike won a game. He vowed that he knew the rules now and would continue his winning streak next time we played. There was no next time... It was the last time I saw Mike the way I prefer to remember him.
I was able to see Mike the day before he passed. By that time he was getting hospice care/drugs and was not responsive or awake. I said goodbye and hoped for a quick and dignified end for his and the family's sake.
Some pondering and reflection helped me settle on how I feel lucky to get to know Mike and hunt/fish with him numerous times. Yes it sucks but what a blessing for Mike and his friends and family that he got the last 4 years. His attitude in the knowledge that his days were numbered is a lesson to all of us to live life to it's fullest like your days are also numbered-because they are.
Carpe diem.
Comments