Mike Brock

Michael Patrick Brock, 81, of Hayden, Idaho, passed away peacefully on November 7, 2022 with his wife, Barbara, and son, Brandon, at his side. Mike was born on July 13, 1941 in Richmond, California, to John and Elizabeth Brock. An only child, Mike was the apple of his mother’s eye. He grew up on a small ranch in Sonoma County, California, and graduated from Healdsburg High School in 1959. He was an excellent student and didn’t really want to be a farmer, so he headed to UC Berkeley after high school. After some culture shock, he took a break from college in 1962, and before long Uncle Sam tapped him to be a soldier. Drafted into the Army, he was always grateful for his opportunity to have served as a military police officer in the canine corp. He served with his beloved dog, Shazar, at a missile base in the Boston area. After his stint in the army, Mike returned to California and became a police officer for the city of Mountain View, CA. After three years he headed back to college at San Jose State University and received a BA degree in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration. This led Mike into a long career in Human Resources and health care management with the City of Redwood City and Kaiser Permanente Health. Mike met his love, Barbara Johnes, in Palo Alto, CA in 1973. They married in 1976, and their only child, Brandon Brock, was born in 1980 where they settled in Menlo Park, CA for the next 25 years. Mike loved being a dad and never missed a soccer game, a Little League game or a hockey game. He even did a stint at refereeing and umpiring. He and Brandon loved scavenging the baseball card shops in the mid-80’s, looking for their favorites. The love of baseball led to seeing many San Francisco Giant games at Candlestick Park. And watching Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire hit home runs at Oakland Coliseum was always a thrill. That time in life was so precious. Mike was a voracious reader and had a book collection of several thousand books. He loved history, and particularly military history. The last book he read was about the sinking of U-Boats in the Atlantic. He loved to travel, and his travels took him to Europe several times. He particularly loved Ireland as that was the homeland of his ancestors. Wherever he was, he couldn’t pass a museum without exploring or a gift shop without buying. Let’s say he loved memorabilia. In October 2001 Mike and Barbara made a vacation trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. From their first look at Lake Coeur d’Alene they knew this was their retirement spot. In 2004 they retired and made the move. Mike loved every part of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. An avid photographer, two of his favorite local events were the annual vintage World War II air show at Boyington Field in Hayden and the annual air show at Felts Field in Spokane Always healthy and active, colon cancer was detected in December 2019. Mike fought the battle for three years. Mike is survived by his wife of 46 years, Barbara Brock of Hayden, Idaho, and his son, Brandon Brock of Sandpoint, Idaho. At Mike’s request, there will be no services. Barbara and Brandon wish to acknowledge the wonderful care he received at the Schneidmiller House in Hayden.