Obituary of Michael Henry Stottlemyer

Michael Henry Stottlemyer, 69 Michael Henry Stottlemyer, 69, died Saturday, October 26, at his home in Alva, Florida. Born July 11, 1944, in Kirksville, Missouri, he was the only child of Franklin and Helen Stottlemyer. He spent his formative years in Washington D. C. In his teenage years the family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland where he lived until his retirement. He was a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School and Montgomery College and served two years in the US Army Signal Corps during the Vietnam War, stationed in France and Germany. Mike retired from Verizon Telephone Company, working as a COT for 38 years. His last 12 years included working with the US Government's intra-phone system located just off the Washington Mall. In his youth, Mike was a member of Ski Club of Washington D.C. and the Washington Skeet Shooting Association, where he excelled in both sports. He traveled the world bringing home many awards. After retiring to the Fort Myers area, he served on the boards of both Alva Inc. and Bay Shore Community Association, often representing these organizations and various other causes at meetings of the Lee County Commission. He also served as the poll tabulator during elections in Precinct #1 (Alva). Among his memberships were the Caloosa Sports Shooters, the Fort Myers Coin Club, the American Numismatic Association, Friends of Florida Folk, and the Will McLean Foundation. An avid lifetime fisherman, Mike tipped his rod often in the waters of the Gulf, Pine Island Sound and the Caloosahatchee River near Franklin Lock. A world traveler who never met a stranger, Mike had enjoyed a trip to Alaska in July and a trip to the Snake River/Glacier/Yellowstone areas in September. A life-long member of the Lutheran Church, Mike is survived by his fiance, Sally Settle Barrow, as well as several cousins. Visitation will be held at 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 31 at the Akin-Davis Funeral Home 13932 Palm Beach Ave. Ft. Myers. Services will follow at 6:00 P.M. Burial will be at St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery in Utica, Maryland at a later date. Those wishing to remember Mike with a memorial gift are invited to consider the Animal Refuge Center, Inc. P.O Box 6642, Fort Myers, FL 33911; or the Alva United Methodist Church, 21440 Pearl Street, Alva, FL 33920.