Michael Joseph Carsella

Michael (Mike) Joseph Carsella, age 67 was born in Chicago, Illinois to Tony and Harriet Carsella. He passed away on August 27th, 2023, in Lafayette, CO.

Mike was a very athletic young boy and played many sports. He was even awarded best male athlete in elementary school. He played baseball, hockey and, later in high school and college, golf was his sport of choice. His brother, Tony, helped him get started on that path. Not only did he instill a love of golf, but also helped him with his love of history.

Mike loved his family; three older sisters, one older brother and a younger brother. He was very close to his brother James, and they had many adventures together. His older sisters, Sharon, Susan, and Bonnie were always his biggest supporters, and he knew they were always there for him.

His Dad worked construction and his mom had her hands full raising 6 kids.

He had various jobs in Chicago including being a bellhop at a downtown hotel and an usher at Wrigley Field. Even after moving to Colorado, he still loved the Cubs.

When it was time for college, his sister helped him to choose the right one. He chose UNC and made the move to Greeley, Colorado and started the next chapter of his life.

While at UNC, he met his lifelong friend Carl. From intramural sports to ping pong tournaments and camping adventures, they enjoyed an incredible bond.

Mike graduated with a degree in Mathematics and started work with a local electrical engineering firm, and with this job he started his career as a software engineer.

While in Los Angeles for a training class, he met his wife Linda in 1979. She was also there for a training class. When they both were back in Colorado, they started dating and were married in 1980. Linda already had a daughter, Jessica from a previous marriage. Mike adopted her as his own a few years later. They also had two boys, Christopher and Ryan.

Mike’s children were his pride and joy. He attended all their activities, helped coach, wrote special programs to help with their studies, played games with them and helped them with whatever they needed. He was blessed with a granddaughter in 2017 and he cherished every moment he was able to spend with her.

Mike worked for several engineering firms, BLM, BIA and finished his career with CenturyLink. He won many awards for outstanding achievements and created several innovative programs.

He still loved to play golf, racquetball, and fast pitch baseball until he was in his 50’s. Family get-togethers would include badminton, ping pong and always board games.

Mike and Linda loved to travel, and they took many driving and/or camping trips throughout the US and Canada. Many times, incorporating golf. Cruising became one of Mike’s favorite ways to travel and they took quite a few cruises, including Europe.

Gardening became another passion, and his back yard became a sanctuary for him especially after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. He handled all of his chemo treatments with strength and dignity. His greatest wish was to see his granddaughter grow up.

His family and friends will miss his smile, his sense of humor, his wisdom, and his love.

He is survived by his wife Linda, his children Jessica Bast (husband Cliff), Christopher Carsella (wife Tida) and Ryan Carsella (Melinda). His granddaughter Zoey Bast. His sisters, Susan Dean (husband Jan) and Bonnie Crawford (husband Mike). His brothers Anthony Carsella and James Carsella (wife Patty), plus nieces, nephew, grand-niece, and grand-nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Tony and Harriet Carsella, his sister Sharon DeBaro, her husband Vince, and nephew Michael Crawford.

Memorial Service will be held at 2:00pm, Sunday, Sept 3rd from the Chapel of Horan and McConaty, 9998 Grant St. Thornton, CO 80229.