Michael William Ginn was born July 26, 1949 in Hollywood, California, to William and Constance Slater Ginn.  He was raised in West Covina and had fond memories of playing in the orange groves which surrounded his neighborhood.  He attended local schools there, graduating from Covina High in 1967.  

In September 1969 he joined the Army and was still in boot camp when his father died that October.  He went to Viet Nam in March 1970 and shortly thereafter he was injured when a grenade was thrown into the bunker where he was sleeping.  He spent the next year recuperating in hospitals in Japan and California.  He later received a Purple Heart.  This incident affected him for the rest of his life, both physically and emotionally.  After recuperation he attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, where he met his future wife, Michelene Moses.  They were married in 1972 and later divorced.  During that time he worked at a postal mail sorting department, but he spent most of his young working years in construction, which he always enjoyed.  He loved building things out of wood from his own design, and tinkering with any of his many collections. 

In the late 1980s he grew tired of the Los Angeles traffic and smog and moved north to Fresno for awhile, and in 1989 he traveled further north to Humboldt County where he loved the peace and quiet and beauty and decided to make his home here.  He worked various odd jobs, including selling fruit at a fruit stand at Fernbridge and working for a cleaning service until he decided to further his education at College of the Redwoods.  He studied and received AA degrees in Construction and in CAD, and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa.  He met his second wife, Jackie Hollis Yeates, at CR and they married in December 1997.  He worked for a time as the property manager for the Salvation Army in Eureka, California, and later at Thomas Home Center in McKinleyville.  

Mike was a sociable man who loved to talk.   He had lots of tales about his life.  He had a strong belief in God and searched for many years to find the religion that he felt was right.  After many questions and additional study, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in November 1999.  He loved the church and always loved God and wanted to do what God wanted him to do.  

As the years passed by and Mike’s PTSD began to catch up with him, he became less and less able to function in his daily life.  The many medications he took played havoc with his mind and he often went for days with no sleep.  His second marriage did not survive, and when he was out on his own again, he lost control of what he had left in life.  Depression and alcohol pushed him further into a downward spiral, until sadly he took his own life.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by family in southern California, which includes his beloved sister Patricia Bishop, nieces Jennifer Nguyen and her husband Tam and Jessica Bishop whom he loved as though they were his own children; one aunt, Janie Smith, and several cousins throughout California and other states.  Also survived by his ex-wife Jackie with whom he remained close up till the very end.  

His remains have been cremated and his ashes will be scattered at a later date.  A memorial service will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1600 Heartwood Avenue, McKinleyville, California, on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 10:00 a.m..  Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, a charity near and dear to Mike’s heart.

###

The obituary above was submitted by Mike Ginn’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residentsat no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.