David Michael Ganley
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air . . .
David Michael 'Mike' Ganley was born on September 7th, 1941 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona to Paul & Mary Ganley of Buckeye, Arizona. Mike was the youngest of three children in the Ganley household, his older siblings were Pauline Ganley (Lakin), and his brother, Phil Ganley.
Mike attended both Buckeye Elementary School and Buckeye Union High School graduating in May of 1960. He then attended Arizona State College (now NAU) in Flagstaff graduating with a BA in business in 1964. He later earned a Master's Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix.
On December 29th, 1962, Mike married the love of his life, Kay Greer, who he met while attending Arizona State College. They honeymooned in Nogales, Mexico. Mike and Kay had 7 children - Mark, Paul, Chrissy, Shannon, Sean, Sparlin & Erin. (Mark and Chrissy preceded their parents in death.)
After graduating college in Flagstaff Mike & Kay lived in several places around the country including, Phoenix, Wallingford, Connecticut, Waynesboro, Virginia, Sachse, Texas, and Brighton Colorado. The entire time Mike worked in a brand new industry - Cable TV. He was employed by Times Wire and Cable for several of these years. Mike was a pilot and he and Kay bought a Cessna 172 which they treated as their 'second car', routinely taking their three oldest children on jaunts from their home in Brighton, Colorado to see their grandparents down in Arizona and more.
In 1975, Mike and Kay returned to his hometown of Buckeye, Arizona where they eventually gave birth to their two youngest children, Sparlin and Erin. In 1983, Mike established his residential appraisal business, WestMarCo Appraisals. Kay appraised alongside Mike until her retirement in the late 90s. They owned and ran WestMarCo Appraisals from 1983 until a few days before his death in 2021.
Mike was an accomplished business owner, a Certified General Appraiser (specializing in appraisals for the Veteran's Administration), a pilot, a Squadron Commander for the Civil Air Patrol, a professional photographer, and a subject matter expert on both World War I and World War II. Mike loved to target shoot and fly fish; he taught all of his children how to catch (and clean) Rainbow Trout from the lakes and streams surrounding the family cabin up in Marble, Colorado.
Mike was a dedicated friend to the fellow members of his boyhood friend group from Buckeye 'The Rowdy Six', who included Mike, Paul Alva, Tom Meck, Earl Webb, Tom Woods, and Robert Edgar. As the years passed, The Rowdy Six and their wives would get together at every opportunity and this special bond lasted from their boyhood until the very end of their lives.
He was a loving husband to Kay for their 58 years of marriage, and a devoted father to his children: Paul, Shannon, Sean, Sparlin, and Erin. Mike and Kay had 18 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild...and counting.
His loss will always be felt by our family.
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The world David knew
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