CAROLIN, Michael Howard

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Friday, October 08, 2010 Michael Howard Carolin, beloved husband, father, "gramps" and "Uncle H," passed away on Oct. 3, 2010, at the age of 82. He was surrounded by his family in his last days, which is just how he would have wanted it. His wife and true "soulmate" Mary Fay was there by his side as he ended this life's journey. He was born on Oct. 18, 1927. After graduating from Collinwood High School in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, forging his mother's name on the permission slip. As an anti-aircraft gunner on the USS Missouri, he fought in the Battle of Okinawa and survived Halsey's Typhoon. He was a witness to the formal Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, September 1945. He used his GI Bill proudly as he attended college in Detroit. During college he was a semi-pro wrestler - the notorious Cat McCoy. Later, he moved out to Los Angeles, Calif., where he found work in the aerospace industry. He worked as a test engineer for such companies as Hughes Aircraft, Lockheed and TRW, from which he retired in 1989. He was involved in the space race from the unsuccessful Vanguard rocket to the highly successful Apollo program. He worked on NASA missions that surveyed and mapped the lunar surface prior to Apollo 11. He was married during that time and had five children, Denis, Monique, Thomas, Sean and Erin. His children were the pride of his life. He was a regular Gene Kelly on the dance floor. He loved to swing to Count Basie or Benny Goodman, so after retiring to Florida, he began his voyages on cruise ships as a dance host. It was on one such voyage that he met the love of his life, Mary Fay. It was an immediate love connection and they were married in 1996. They moved to Prescott, Ariz. He was proud to add "published author" to his list of life's accomplishments when he wrote "Life Was Simpler Then," a book about his early years during the Depression. He was a great dancer and he always kept in good shape by lifting weights and running. He used to joke and say that he had "a young body with an old head." He so enjoyed watching his Oakland Raiders lose every game (we couldn't resist that one!). He will be dearly missed by "'Fay"; his sons Denis, Thomas and Sean; daughters Monique Fier and Erin (Patrick) Kelty; his grandchildren Barbara, Robert, Belinda, Brooke and Brittany Cravalho, Nora, Mary, and Kate Kelty, William (Melissa) Lusk, Heather and Ryan Carolin; and his great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Lisette Cravalho and Mackenzie and MacLaine Lusk; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Teddy, his brother Eamon, and his sister Noreen. There will be a funeral mass for him at 11 a.m. Nov. 13, 2010, at Holy Redeemer, 15712 Kipling Ave., in Cleveland. Information provided by survivors.