Mike Janelle
This is definitely not what I thought I would be writing about today. But that stuff can wait.
I was profoundly saddened to open my email this morning and see one titled “Mike Janelle Memorial”. Many people in Arizona will remember Mike as the Tokyo Joe’s racer with the permanent smile that often raced the early season MBAA races and Epic Rides endurance races here; his parents live here in AZ too. He was part of the 4 man RAAM team that won the team event the last several years in a row.
Anyone who has spent 5 minutes with Mike has laughed for 5 minutes straight. He was a phenomenal mountain biker, an exceptional skier, a seeker of all things fun and exciting. Parties and good times literally followed Mike wherever he went.
Mike, you will be missed.
This from Jay Henry:
“Dear Friends,
I regret to inform you that Mike Janelle passed away suddenly and unexpectedly early this morning at his home in Avon. The cause of death is believed to be cardiac arrest. He had no known symptoms prior to his death. There will be a memorial service open to the public this Monday November 26th at 5:00pm at the Vilar Center for the Arts in Beaver Creek. Parking is available at the base lots and shuttles are provided to the Vilar Center. The shuttle will take an extra 15 minutes.
Mike touched many lives so please forward this message to anyone who you think might want to know. A memorial fund will also be set up in the following days. Please feel free to contact me about any details.
Sincerely,
Jay Henry”
And this from Heather Szabo:
“Hello all,
Today, we lost a great teammate and friend. I don’t have the words to convey how sad I am about Mike. His wife Mirabel is pregnant and Mike was just so happy to be a dad. We had been talking a lot lately about kids and I know he was going to be a great dad. I’m so sad for Mirabel, I can’t imagine what she is going through right now.
If you can join us Monday evening, please do so. Also, please feel free to forward this to anyone who might like to know and attend.
Thanks,
Heather”