Michael Schooler

Michael S. Schooler beloved husband, father, son and brother passed away suddenly at his home in Temecula CA on Saturday April 30th, 2011 at 41 years young. He was born in Longmont, CO February 11, 1970 to Brian and Judith Schooler. He was raised in Tucson AZ, graduated from William C Cary university. Mike worked as a tennis director in St Thomas, was the assistant to Senator Ben Campbell, and was the fusion center coordinator with infrastructure protection in the department of homeland security. Mike was a devoted Broncos fan, a proud father and was driven by his passion to protect the United States. He is survived by his wife Delia, his sons Brian, Mason and Dylan, his parents Brian and Judy, sisters Diana and Karen.Mike believed as Teddy Roosevelt said 'Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits that neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in a grey twilight that knows nor victory or defeat.'----------------------------On Saturday, April 30th our nation lost a patriot! On Sunday, May 1st our collective tears filled unprotected cauldrons around the country as we learned of Michael’s death. On Monday morning we each began the process of staring down our disbelief and our grief. And, today, Thursday, May 5th at this service we put aside our profound loss and begin helping the family and each other remember how loved Michael Schooler was. He was deeply respected and had dignity. He was a man of principles, of values and he had a call to duty.Michael was a shining star in his parent’s world; Brian and Judith Schooler are here with us today. They raised Michael in Tucson, Arizona and imbued him with the great character we all knew. Mike was the little brother his sisters, Diana and Karen wanted. They too are here with their husbands, Brent and Tim and families, Mike’s niece, Elizabeth and nephew, Jonathan. A beloved husband to Delia, it is our time to share with her our compassion ~ they shared a great love. Dee’s dad, Junior, and her mom, Teresa, all the way from Puerto Rico and brothers, Luis and Carlos are here. Donna Fuller, Gerry, Gail and Keith Schooler are also here. Most importantly in this nuclear family are Brian, Mason and Dylan Schooler ~ Mike and Dee’s sons. Brian, Mason and Dylan are here today to mourn their dad and to comfort their mom. Michael would want them to each know that responsibility. Dee tells me it is already in their nature, she is getting extra hugs. We hope to fill these young men with joy because we knew their dad. We wish for Dee the strength to bear her sorrow and to raise her sons.Fortunately, Michael also was blessed with friends, colleagues, neighbors and his community at large. Dee said it best – to know Michael was to love him. We are here today to underscore that love and pay our respect to this lovely man. Michael was recalled to heaven sooner than any of us expected. And that is where we can begin. For sure, Michael knew and lived the precious secret of life – to love and be loved in return. His love came from a very secure place, his mom and dad and sisters loved him beyond measure and he knew what it was to be loved. He loved easily and well in return. He had the gift. His romance with Delia is legendary in circles that watched and waited for the engagement, which later danced at their wedding (to the extent that Michael could dance) and as the time came celebrated the birth of their sons. Michael loved so completely; he absorbed the concept to love and be loved in return. It was his daily breath. He also learned at a young age to appreciate and to be grateful for all opportunities in his life. His appreciation and gratitude were corner stones of his happiness which was a journey in progress. His journey was not finished which makes us all so sad. He was working hard on knowing happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. Brian, Mason and Dylan ~ you made your dad very happy ~ treasure his love for each of you.Mike and I met in Washington DC shortly after the time Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell made history switching political parties while in office. Mike and Delia were “fresh off the boat” so to speak having arrived in Washington, D. C. from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Having been promised a job that didn’t exist - Michael hit the halls of Congress job hunting. Many of us in the room today did the same at some point in our careers. As the Senator’s COS, I remember interviewing this tall, blonde, good looking, sweaty palmed young rookie willing to take any job - answering phones, sorting mail, filing, making coffee; essentially anything that might have a pay check attached. He wasn’t so different from many of us except that he was. I remember clearly he offered his loyalty with such genuine honesty; he was hired. His raw authencity was apparent from the moment I met him and Michael and I have been fast friends from the beginning of our acquaintance. The politics that Michael and I shared were not about which party or which platform we supported; it was about people and loyalty to them. Michael understood this core tenant and his accomplishments in DC and in life were based on this intuitive understanding. Politics is about loyalty; loyalty to oneself and to the people you work with. Loyalty is a good life value. Michael had it in spades.Michael also enjoyed a good political debate and was grounded in his conservative, patriotic, Lincolnism. I just made up that word. Abe Lincoln was his man. Abe was a great American. Michael was a great American! Abe said, “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands for right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” Mike believed in right and took his civic responsibilities to heart and practiced being a good American at every opportunity. It was most evident in the many years of exemplary service to the federal government. Michael earned his way up the ladder in U.S. Senator Campbell’s office. He started in the office answering phones and left as the Senator’s executive assistant, personal confidante and real friend.The Senator called Dee on Sunday to remember with her what a good man Michael was. Michael also earned his way at Homeland Security. He started serving in the Office of Legislative Affairs and moved not only to San Diego but to the position of sole Infrastructure Protection Analyst. As one of his colleagues said, “Mike was a trusted friend and colleague who worked alongside many of you for the past seven years. His service to his country and his commitment to protecting this great Nation will not be forgotten.” Assistant Secretary in the Office of Infrastructure Protection, Todd Keil, with many other colleagues joins us today. Mike’s commitment to his country and his work ethic did not go unnoticed. That abiding loyalty which I had the privilege of seeing in Michael as a young rookie was shared with many and will be a lasting memory. We’d all be remiss though not to talk about Mike’s intellect, his sensitivity and his quirky humor. It makes me smile right now to think of Michael thinking about how to be. He was at once so serious and so funny. It was as though there were trains running up there in his mind and he was constantly pulling the lever to switch tracks. I could see him questioning himself, is this situation serious, should I say something intelligent, should I make a wise crack, should I just listen and see if no one notices I don’t know. I loved watching his face while his mind moved from a slow track to a fast track like a commuter train to the express. He liked thinking and he enjoyed his own process. He was serious about doing a good job; he was serious about making others comfortable and appreciated. A friend from his Senate days wrote to me “I wish I had A “memory” but mine are about the long conversations and friendship we had…I suppose if I had to pick one thing it would be about a week I was in D.C. and Michael was so intent on brainstorming and finding the perfect “First Mother’s Day” present for Dee from Brian…he quizzed all of us for days for input. But personally, it’s was about riding the train with Michael up to the Bowie house for dinner with Dee and Brian, learning the ropes from him, walking the hill, laughing and being encouraged. There was always an abundant friendship that was a trademark of Michael’s. What I will treasure most – the long conversations – like a brother – sparing back and forth – always with admiration for each other’s viewpoints.” Michael was sensitive!There was a culture around Friday afternoon dart games in the Senator’s office. Our press secretary at the time, reminded me this week that he cajoled me into approving Friday afternoon’s for darts as a stress release for Michael. Mike was our valued gatekeeper to the Senator; a position which he managed with excellence and gained the admiration of everyone who worked with him. The dart stories though are such a part of that senate office history and were such a stress release for Michael that I was asked to put a packet of darts in his casket today. Dee reminded us that the last day of work in Senate office was a dart tournament and Michael won with a bull’s-eye! Mike was fun!A friend at Homeland Security shared that Michael’s department was specifically called: Office of Infrastructure Protection. He had developed a program to deliver services from his department to state and local entities. He coined his program as “I (for Infrastructure) P (for Protection) in a Box”The name stuck quickly around the office and Mike was the last one to realize that it really said, “I pee in a box.”That joke lives on around DHS. Ah, Michael! We have no doubt you are up in heaven right now coining a program for “save me a spot next to you.”Just last Friday Mike emailed me to ask where I had registered for my upcoming wedding. He said if I didn’t tell him he was going to get me a Raider’s hoody. The joke being, Michael and I were avid Bronco’s fans. Brian, Mason and Dylan your dad loved the Broncos, John Elway and having the NFL channel. If your mom will allow me, he loved his beer and he loved you guys most of all. As we remember Michael and all add to these stories we will have lasting imprints of his love, of his loyalty, of his humor ~ We would honor Mike today if we let Abe have the last words. “Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality.”Given by his friend: Ginnie KontnikThursday, May 5, 2011Temecula, California Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Michael S. Schooler Childrens trust at any Bank of America Location Acct number: 29291-72752. Services: 11:00AM at England Family Mortuary on Thursday, May 5th, 2011 (map/driving directions) Cemetery: Temecula Public Cemetery 41911 C Street Temecula, CA 92592 (map/driving directions)