Mike Navarro Samudio's Obituary
Loving. Hardworking. Stubborn to the very end. Mike, Dad, Tata, Big Tata—he was known by many names and loved by all. On May 25th, 2019, Mike N. Samudio passed away at the age of 85. He is survived by his loving and faithful wife Margie Samudio, his sister Olivia, his brother Mike, his 4 children Mike Jr., David, Sylvia, and Danny, along with 13 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. His family is 50+ members strong, and he loved every single one of them.Born in Fresno, CA, to Miguel R. Samudio and Maria Luisa Samudio, Mike would make his way through Ensenada to San Diego until the fateful day he met the love of his life, Margie Cervantes. 1951 at the theater is where Mike first used his charm and bold demeanor to go up to Margie and use the line, “Are you buying something sweet?” From then on they started going steady. They would go on dates from Balboa Park, to dances, to horseback riding and picnics until Tata was drafted into military service at age 20.He was a man of his word. Before he left he had told Nana that when he got back two years later, he would take her to the prom she missed while he was away.He did, and they would be engaged and married by 1955. They would buy their legendary house in National City in 1957.It’s there that he would see his family flourish and grow over the years. He would see and support his sons Mike, Dave, and Danny play the sports he was never allowed to as a teenager. He would take his daughter Sylvia, who always wanted to be by his side around to all the places he could. He would watch over the legendary parties the Samudio boys would throw, and probably have a drink or two with them along the way.He was known as a Mike of all trades. He could fix cars, do carpentry, fix plumbing, electrical, landscaping—if he could help, he would. As his children would grow up and get married he would always try to be there, helping them with their household woes.Throughout his adult life he took part in things he loved to do and stayed busy all the time. Being a lover of sports, he not only was a college football officiate, he was also one of the best high school umpires San Diego has ever seen.The one hobby that stayed consistent in his life was tending to his famous garden. He would grow juicy tomatoes, his loved nopales, and the chiles essential to his famously spicy salsa that he won two competitions with.Mike stayed close to God throughout the years, attending mass and serving as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Mary’s. God, love, and family—all essential aspects of his life.As life would go on his children had children, and he loved and cared for every one of them. His grand daughters were his sweethearts while his grandsons were there to crack open a Bud with him in the garage and talk about anything and everything—from sports to politics, to stories about his youth.He left us with many lessons, but most of all it was the lessons in his actions that stuck with us. Be a provider. Be a strong father. Be a giving person. Love your family and spread that love around you. He would try to make it to every important birthday, or graduation, or wedding. And you could see all the love in his life on his 80th birthday when the whole family came together to celebrate Fiesta Style. It was legendary.He taught us to dance, to sing, to work hard, and to live a life to its fullest.But most importantly he left us with this lesson. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be okay. “Don’t worry,” he’d say. And he’d stay strong, and want everyone to be strong, all the way up until his last days.You will be able to honor his life on Thursday, June 13th at 6:00pm at Greenwood Mortuary to pray the Rosary. Friday, June 14th at 10:00am will be the service at St. Mary’s church, proceeded by a celebration of life at Bonita Golf Club Hall, from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. His burial will be at Miramar National Cemetery, Thursday June 20th.
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