In his own words, "Mikey departed the Earth on December 25, 2016." My dad constantly told people he was an alien because his birthday coincided with the Roswell, New Mexico event. While we laughed at this comment, I think my dad was correct about being an alien to this world, in the sense that he had more love in him that this world could handle. Dad loved everyone he met and wasn't afraid to tell you. Dad left a Mikey-sized hole in all of us who had the pleasure of doing life with him. The world is a lot less colorful without him, and I think tie-dye sales just plummeted.

Mikey served in the Army during Vietnam, then had a career at Defense Depot Ogden, and later retired from Hill Air Force Base.He married his sweetheart, Sally, in 1969 and they had three children together. Mikey was a talented artist, and family and friends will cherish his works of art for decades to come.

Mikey is preceded in death by his wife, Sally Burson; parents, Michiel and Jean Burson. He is survived by his children: Chris Burson, Natalie (Brian) Goodwin and Sabrina (Travis) Moulding; and grandchildren: Isaac, Abigail, Troy, Matthew and McKenna; and sister, Pat (Steve) Burson-Sein.

A celebration of life, a.k.a. "Mikeypalooza," will be held in his honor on Saturday January 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. to Noon at the George E. Whalen Veterans Home located at 1102 North 1200 West, Ogden, UT 84404. Please do not dress up, unless, of course, you consider tie-dye dress attire. Dad is continuing to be a hero even in his death by donating his body to science in hopes that he can be useful in finding a cure to ALS.

Our family wants to give special thanks to dad's amazing caretaking teams at Chancellor Gardens, GEWVA and Symbii Hospice. You all made dad's battle manageable. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to dad favorite ALS charity 10-07 Charitable Fund at: https://1007fund.org/donate