Michael Mcnelly

Michael Francis McNelly, of Fort Collins, CO, was born in Boulder, CO, on February 11, 1947 and lost his battle with cancer on September 24, 2009 on an air ambulance flight. He had just spent a dream vacation cruise in Alaska with his wife Barb when he became acutely ill. Mike grew up in San Diego, CA excelling at the clarinet in high school and traveled to Europe performing in concerts. He graduated from the University of Colorado, majoring in physics and music. At CU he joined the orchestra and the marching band. During his senior year he enrolled in the ROTC program where he became a pilot in the Air Force from 1969-76, flying C-5 and C-130 cargo planes in Vietnam. He received numerous medals as a pilot and was honorably discharged as an Air Force Captain. Afterwards, he pursued his master degree at Colorado State University in computer science. Mike was a software engineer at Hewlett Packard for 24 years and retired from the USDA. Mike loved to be outdoors; fishing, rafting a wild river (including 8 trips on the Grand Canyon), camping, skiing, reading, and spending time in the mountains. He was an active member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Mike sponsored a Cambodian family and currently sponsors a child through the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor, being a true friend to everyone he met, and dedicated to his family. Mike is survived by his wife Barb McNelly; daughter Anne (Rick) Baldwin; mother Jean McNelly; brother Robert McNelly; step-children, Brittany (Derek) Blaha, Kristi Ferguson (Rueben Ramos), Joel (Steffanie) Ferguson, and Aaron Ferguson (Megan Gifford); niece and nephew, Mary and J.C. McNelly; grandkids, Dakota Baldwin, Jordyn and Dylan Blaha, Lorenzo Colcas, Kayci Smith, and Maxwell Ferguson. Mike is preceded in death by his father, John McNelly, and best friend and river buddy, Sandy Charney. Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 11:00 am, Tuesday, September 29, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. A private interment will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Wednesday, September 30. Mike's family requests that any memorial donations please be made, in lieu of flowers to the Michael McNelly Memorial Fund in care of Goes Funeral Care, 3665 Canal Dr., Ft. Collins, CO 80524.