Sad to say, I really don't know a whole lot about Mike's life before he came to the Tacoma area. Here is what I know, and if I can get other people to visit this site, maybe they can fill in more details: - He was adopted as an infant. - He grew up in Santa Maria, CA. - He graduated from high school right around the time I was born. - He worked at Columbia Records and studied business at one point, but never finished college. - He owned his own trailer home as a young adult, and had two cats. - He used to drink way too much, and got in trouble with the law a couple of times. - He lived and worked in Reno for a year or so after leaving Santa Maria. - He came to Tacoma because his mother's cousin, David Weldy, lived here and told him it was a nice place to live.