Michael James Gleason

Michael James Gleason, age 79, peacefully entered into eternal rest in his Montgomery, Alabama, home on February 26, 2025, with his wife Phyllis at his side. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph & Doris (Geiger) on August 4, 1945, and spent his childhood in Chicago.

Mike married his high school sweetheart Carol (Friedrich) in 1967, and the couple moved to Alabama in 1972 for the opening of Rheem Manufacturing. Mike & Carol had four children together and after fourteen wonderful years of marriage, Carol passed away. After several years, Mike met and married Phyllis (Thornton) and they spent the last forty years together.

Mike's mechanical engineering career took him to many places over the years including Mexico, Tennessee, China, and Indiana, and he came back to Montgomery to retire. Mike was the league president of the AUM baseball and softball association in the 1980s and coached many baseball and softball teams. The local community knew Mike by his random acts of service around the neighborhood, collecting cans for recycling, cleaning yards, and always walking his dogs.

He loved watching and playing golf, volunteering at AWF cookoffs, serving as the golf marshal at River Run Golf Course and as the course marshal at the local LPGA tournaments, going to Montgomery Biscuits games, and everyone watching The Price is Right with Dad knew to keep their mouths shut. He found great joy in the simple pleasures of life like cold beer and margaritas, cutting the grass, movie theater dates, and spending time playing games with his family. He never met a stranger and will be sorely missed.

Mike is survived by his wife Phyllis, sisters Sandy and Sharon, sister-in-law Cookie, brother-in-law Bob, his four children Carrie Honeycutt (Mike), Tracey Galindo (Kano), Michael (Linda), and Bradley, twelve grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, ten nieces and nephews, three stepchildren, and five step-grandchildren.

The funeral mass for Michael James Gleason will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 7, 2025, at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church, 3870 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, Alabama 36109, with visitation beginning at 10:00 AM and the burial immediately following the funeral mass at St. Margaret Cemetery, Upper Wetumpka Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36104.

Linville Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory, Eclectic, Alabama