James Michael “Mike” Quackenbush, 63, of Waco, passed away Monday, December 28, 2015. Celebration of his life will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, at OakCrest Funeral Home, 4520 Bosque Boulevard, with Deacon Greg George officiating.

Visitation will be 12 noon - 2 p.m. Thursday in OakCrest Funeral Home.

Mike was born April 6, 1952 to James Edward and Lenora (Reeve) Quackenbush in South Bend, Ind. He was raised there, and was an avid Chicago Cubs and Bears fan. Mike was a member of the last graduating class of South Bend Central High School in 1970. He attended Purdue University, graduating was a degree in environmental science in 1974.

He was married September 25, 1976 to Patricia Joan Kujawski in South Bend. They moved in 1992 to Cedar Park where Mike worked in Austin. In 2010, Mike moved to Waco where he worked for the BRA. In Waco, he taught himself how to play the acoustic guitar and learned how to paint watercolors.

Mike was preceded in death by his father and a nephew.

He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughter, Carol Joiner and husband, Glenn of Round Rock; mother, Lenora; sister, Barbara Phend of Bloomington, Ill.; and several nieces and nephews.

The family thanks the ICU staff at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Hospital for the caring given to Mike.
Those who knew Mike will surely remember his sense of humor. His advice to all was “watch more sunsets, eat more ice cream.”