Michael Keresey passed away suddenly on April 23, 2014 at the young age of 61.

Michael was born in Oakland, California on August 28, 1952 and raised in New York on Long Island. As soon as it was possible Michael moved to California to start his life on his own terms.

He married Annie Farmer and moved to Carmel, California where they raised their five children: Kirstin, Nick, Emily, Claire, and Cooper. Michael later moved to Marin County, California and finally to Santa Rosa, California.

Michael was a people person in every way. Every person he met, stranger or friend, deserved an introduction and conversation. It was important for him to make contact with everyone he met. Who are you? What are you doing? Need any help? Nice ink. This was Michael's way … frustrating to some and uplifting to others.

Michael had a career in the construction industry designing and building kitchen counter tops in and around the Monterey peninsula through his company Architectural Surfaces.

Throughout his life Michael struggled with substance abuse. There were times when he was at the mercy of drugs and alcohol and also long stints when he was clean and sober. Turning a sow's ear into a silk purse Michael pursued a career in drug and alcohol abuse counseling starting with a certificate program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies at UC Berkeley Extension in 2012.

With his knowledge that there are underlying causes for substance abuse Michael undertook the more difficult task of understanding why he was prone to substance abuse and commenced the very hard work of looking inside himself to find the roots of his issues.

At the time of his passing Michael was fully engaged helping people to overcome their addiction issues. Through his work as a counselor at a substance abuse treatment center in San Rafael, California and his constant presence at a multitude of NA and AA meetings in the Marin and Sonoma areas Michael used his natural gifts to support those willing to free themselves from addiction.

From Michael's perspective every situation presented "an opportunity for personal growth". He survived by looking into the proverbial mirror and saying “tell the truth”.