HUSO, William Michael (Mike)

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ 02/20/2015 William Michael “Mike” Huso died peacefully Feb. 10, 2015, in Gilbert surrounded by his family and his dog, Axel. His daughters were playing their violins and everyone was singing to bid him farewell. Mike was born “on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” Nov. 19, 1949, actually in Dr. M.G. Wright’s hospital there, to William M. and Irene Frost Huso, who lived in Holbrook at the time. Mike was a third-generation native Arizonan and was proud to have been the fourth great-grandson of Captain James Willie of the Willie Handcart Company. The family moved to Globe, where his dad worked as an employment specialist for the State of Arizona and his mom worked for Bechtel Corporation. When Mike was 2, they moved to Gila Rivers, a Japanese Relocation Center during World War II. They lived in Rivers until the war was over, when they moved to Show Low in 1946. They owned and operated the Show Low Supply Company (general store and Shell station that stood in part of the Branding Iron or Cattlemen’s parking lot and extended east to about the center of the intersection) and Huso’s Shoes (next to Domino’s Pizza) until the late ‘60s. Mike is survived by his wife, Sue Ann Barney Huso; their four children, Scott (Michaela), Erik (Bridget), Amy Varney (Landon) and Sonja Dodge (Ben), and 17 grandchildren, Dallin, Bryce, Emmaly, Aubrey, Allie Sue, Brock, Brynn, Brooklynn, Ava, and Hollyn Huso, Porter, James, Ruthie, Weston, Blake and Luke Varney, and William Dodge. He is also survived by his sisters, Jani Huso (Bob) Johnson of Snowflake and Heidi of Alaska. Mike was predeceased by his father, Sen. William M. Huso, mother Irene Frost Huso, and a baby sister. Childhood days in Show Low were filled with rafting on Show Low Creek with rafts constructed from cutoffs from the Reidhead Lumber Mill, swimming in the flume, exploring petroglyphs in the canyon, listening for Bill and Jerry Rawlings’ plane to buzz town and then racing to the Show Low Airport to watch them land and maybe get a ride with a stunt pilot, sledding down Schoolhouse Hill sharing the space with autos, building forts from refrigerator and washer boxes from his dad’s store, and later tinkering with old cars and trucks, all of them being named. When he was a senior, he bought a new white wraparound ‘58 Chevy truck named the “Night Owl.” He was a member of the Rakers of Show Low car club in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Members gave out cards when helping motorists that read “You have been assisted by a member of the Rakers of Show Low, a car club organized by a group of safety-minded auto enthusiasts dedicated to the sport of safe hot rodding.” Well, the hot rodding part of it was true, anyway ... In the ‘50s, Mike loved to go to Holbrook to the modified stock car races with family friends. Arthur and Norman Adams and Lloyd Capps all had jalopies they raced. Mike spent hours pumping gas for his dad and then blowing all of his wages on gas to cruise Main (before it was the Deuce of Clubs) from the Show Low Cafe on the west end to the White Mountain Cafe on the east. He played the trumpet masterfully and could make his dog, Fido, howl away when he played “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.” Mike won a Gerber beautiful baby contest when he was a toddler. He was a track star. One of his funny stories was when he and Sue Ann ran into Leon Cody, a White Mountain Apache who was a classmate of Mike’s at Show Low Elementary School at the Dairy Queen in Globe in the ‘70s. He said, “That Mike Huso, he was so fast, we called him ‘crazy legs,’ but I don’t know if he can run now — he sure got fat!” Mike was very entertaining with his “Crazy Legs Huso” dance which was a cross between an Apache dance and Buddy Holly hopping across the stage. Mike graduated from Snowflake Union High School in 1958 and had a close camaraderie with his classmates for his lifetime. He served a mission in Norway for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and Sue Ann were married in the Mesa Temple Aug. 20, 1965, and would have celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. He graduated from Arizona State University with master’s degrees in both the German language and business and had many vocations through the years, including farming for his father-in-law, building and owning the Auto Repair Company on North Val Vista in Mesa, involved in land development and construction and taught high school for several years at Washington High School, Gilbert High School and Highland High School. Mike’s favorite job was probably driving his dump truck and working with his son Scott’s excavating business. Their home on Leah Lane was beautiful with three tall pines, “The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria,” that were beautifully lit up every Christmas along with Grandpa Barney’s John Deere positioned reverently in their front yard. Mike worked incessantly manicuring their lawn, many trees and shrubs, and the backyard was the site of numerous parties and receptions. Most visitors went home with a bag of citrus. Mike was a man of integrity and compassion and a friend to all. He loved God, he loved his country, he loved cars, music, anything ‘50s and, most of all, he loved his family. He was the world’s greatest grandpa and will be missed by his grandchildren. A viewing will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Bunkers Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way in Mesa. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 with a visitation at 9 a.m. at the Val Vista Stake Center, 1005 N. Voyager Dr. in Gilbert. Mike will be interred at the Mesa City Cemetery following the service in a custom casket with aqua flames that match his prized ‘48 Ford coupe, “Blue Tillie.”