Michael Gerard DeWalt

Michael Gerard DeWalt

Michael Gerard DeWalt. A Good Man. The Love of Our Lives. Everyday Hero.

Born in Bangkok, Thailand, April 20th,1959 and suddenly called home by the Lord on March 17th, 2021. Michael loved God, his family, and his country. Of all the hats he wore and jobs he had, he loved being a husband and father best.

Michael was proud of his time working at Houston Barge Lines as a Tankerman in the Merchant Marines in the 80s. During this time, he would meet the love of his life Lisa, thanks to a night out insisted upon by his brother David. Mike and Lisa were married in 1985 at St. Joseph’s church in Lordsburg, NM. Although he loved working in the Merchant Marines, he was eager to find work at home as they started a family. His brother in-law Rick helped him to get a job at Ponderosa Products. He worked there as Foreman for the graveyard and swing shift until the company closed. He became a father in the spring of ‘86 with the birth of daughter Michelle and again in ‘89 to daughter Patricia. Following the closing of Ponderosa Products, he went on to become a Peace Officer for Sandoval County. While working for Sandoval he started his own landscaping business “Estate Lawn and Land”. He would eventually leave his job as a Peace Officer to work as the owner/operator of his business full time. He was a proud entrepreneur and cherished the clients and friends he made along the way because of it. John Mancini and his family and Brad and Diane along with dogs Mollie and Lobo, were spoken of in the DeWalt home with great love and fondness.

Michael had a larger than life presence and a full boisterous laugh that filled any room. He was easy going and fun loving and never held a grudge. There was nothing he couldn’t fix, no manual or specialty tool required. He was an outdoors man who loved to vacation anywhere near the ocean or body of water. He loved to swim and was right at home whenever he was on a boat.

For better or worse, Michael was a lifelong Cowboys fan. He loved to follow sports and enjoyed watching the History channel, food and travel shows, and war movies. He was a little bit country and a little bit Rock-n-roll. He loved to throw on country tunes and dance with Lisa in the living room or listen to classic rock while surfing the web. He claimed he didn’t enjoy musicals but did like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Wicked”. He was passionate about politics and was a staunch Republican who believed in the Constitution and especially in the right to bear arms. He loved a good political thriller and read all of Tom Clancy and John Grisham’s novels. He also read a passage from the Bible daily, one on a phone app and another on the family Bible. He believed in God, heaven, and angels among us. He donated to charity including Joy Junction, St. Matthew’s Church, the Arbor Day Foundation, Salvation Army, Roadrunner Food Bank and International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Michael’s greatest joy was being a loving husband and devoted father. At the time of his passing he and Lisa were married for 35 years. His girls will remember him as a teacher, preacher, confidant, and best friend. He coached his daughter’s soccer teams and taught them to swim and cheered them on in all their life endeavors. He was Grandpa to Grand kitties Panda and Bebe (Baby) and Grand doggy Momo.  

Mike had a special relationship with each of his siblings. He and sister Cathy shared in the same sense of humor and would swap tall tales and jokes whenever they were together. He looked forward to the holidays and loved the Hungarian dishes specially prepared by sister Debbie. He loved the cabbage rolls and baelish she made for him and always counted it as a favorite Christmas present. They also shared a love of Rock N’ Roll and Metal music. He and older brother David were polar opposites, but loved to talk shop, politics, classic cars and guns. Mike held his little brother Stephen in high regard, and loved time spent with him goofing off and shooting guns. In childhood he once took the rap for Steve for eating a pie in its entirety, a story he loved to tell at family gatherings. Of the brother’s relationship; McCoy, Spock and Captain Kirk forever.

His last Sunday on Earth was spent with his family. He saw his siblings at their mother’s house to help prepare it for sale and then came home for an early St. Patrick’s family dinner. The night was spent eating an Irish dinner under lamp light and watching Waking Ned Devine next to a roaring fire.

Like Ned, Mike always wanted to win the lottery. While he was never granted his wish, his family feels as though they won the lottery to have had him as their husband, father, brother, uncle and friend. Michael will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Due to COVID, a private Rosary is scheduled for 1:00pm, Monday, March 29, 2021 and not open to the public. Extended family and friends may participate via streaming.

Visitation is scheduled for Monday, March 29, 2021 from 2:00pm to 5:30pm at Daniels Family Funeral Service Wyoming Chapel, 7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109.

A Funeral Mass is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 11:00am at Our Lady of The Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 5415 Fortuna Rd. NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105. The church will not be allowing anyone in before 10:45 am.

Burial to follow at Sandia Memory Gardens, 9500 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113.

To donate to the family, please Venmo to @Lisa-DeWalt

To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Michael please visit our floral store.