John "Mike" Michael Ring

John Michael "Mike" Ring of Windsor, Colorado, passed away peacefully on April 25. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Jackie Ring, his two daughters, Melissa Perricone and Caitlin Carlson, and their husbands, Dave Perricone and Wayne Carlson.

Mike was born in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Joseph and DeSales Ring. He was the youngest of three sons. The boys regularly trekked from their home in Maryland to their family camp in Kingston, New York, where they fished, hunted, and generally ran wild.

Mike attended St. Paul's Catholic School in Ellicott City, Maryland as a child. He graduated from Mt. St. Joe's High School and pursued a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. When the Vietnam War happened, Mike was called to serve. He was stationed in Italy, monitoring communications for the Army. He had the opportunity to travel all over Europe. He skied in the Alps and attended Oktoberfest in Munich. When he returned stateside, he finished his degree and married Jackie.

Their life before kids was full of adventures. They loved to travel and spend time outdoors, regularly hopping in the car on a Friday night for a weekend trip to Massachusetts.

Eventually, they bought a house in Catonsville, Maryland, and had their two daughters. Caitlin was born in 1980, and Melissa in 1983. Shortly after that, they moved back to Ellicott City, where they lived until they retired in Colorado in 2010.

Mike was a great girl's Dad. He coached the kids' soccer and softball teams, volunteered at their ice skating shows, and served as a chauffeur extraordinaire, shuffling the girls from one activity to the next. He loved his kids more than life itself. He was quick with a dad joke, sympathetic, kind, and caring. He went out of his way to make his kids laugh. He provided a good life for his family, centered on time spent together, new experiences, and the outdoors.

The family camped all over the East Coast, visiting national parks in every state within driving distance. Although Mike regularly threatened, "To turn this car around," he never did, and the family spent time in Acadia, Maine, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Smoky Mountains, the Outer Banks, and Deep Creek, Maryland. When the girls got married, the family vacations continued. The crew of six saw volcanoes in Hawaii, fished for salmon in Alaska, and hiked in Montana.

Not only was Mike a great dad, but he was also a good husband. He and Jackie met in fourth grade and eventually married in 1973. This January, they celebrated 51 years of marriage. In retirement, they explored much of what the West had to offer. They visited

dozens of national parks, hiked, went storm chasing, walked for miles along the Poudre Valley Trail, shared countless cups of coffee, and genuinely enjoyed each other's company.

Mike dedicated his life to serving others. For 35 years, he was an administrator for the Howard County Bureau of Utilities Department of Public Works. In retirement, Mike volunteered for the Red Cross, he ran shelters and served hot meals to those displaced by natural disasters. Later in life, he became a ham radio operator and used his newfound skills to assist northern Colorado in their emergency preparedness efforts. He was a member of American Radio Emergency Services (ARES) as well as the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club.

Ham radio was one of many hobbies Mike pursued during his lifetime. In his younger years, he played soccer, rode motorcycles, and built and flew model planes before taking up the banjo and attending regular jam sessions with other bluegrass players in Ellicott City. He started target shooting later in life and was a member of the Liberty Firearms Institute.

Mike loved his family above all else. Christmas was his favorite holiday, and every year, he would hide the last present and make a scavenger hunt for his kids. This went on well into the kids' 40s. Mike also loved dogs, reading, and YouTube, which he was convinced could teach anyone how to do anything. Mike was sentimental and silly, a true kid at heart.

A memorial service is planned for June 9 in Fort Collins. Please contact the family for details about the event. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his brother James; his honorary daughter Kate; his sister-in-laws Merita, Nancy, Bobbie, and Becki; his brother-in-law Rick; his nieces Stephanie, Alexandra, and Diane; his nephews Brian, Danny, Tommy, Marcus, and John, a host of grand nieces and nephews and even more friends and family who will miss him dearly.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation in his name to the Food Bank for Larimer County: https://shorturl.at/uyzOR.