Michael William Phelan, Sr.

Michael William Phelan, Sr., ceased to live life on Earth on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. He looked forward to the experiences to follow. He and his wife of 52 years, Judy Coleman Phelan, treasured the home in which they resided and shared with the birds and wildlife for 18 years. Michael's legacy are sons, Charles "Chuck" Phelan and wife, Michele, of Dallas and Michael "Mike" Phelan, Jr. and wife, Lisa, of San Antonio and daughter, Kelly Powell and husband, Blake, of Shreveport; four grandchildren, John Phelan and wife, Hillary, of Dallas, Jessica Christman and husband, Travis, of San Antonio and Harper Powell and Truman Powell, of Shreveport; three great-grandchildren, Blake, Laney and Luke Christman, of San Antonio and animal family members include rescued Doberman Pinscher, Charlie Grace, rescued Shih Tzu, Ashley and abandoned tabby cat, Molly. His family was his pride and joy. His mother, Betty Lafayette; stepfather, James Lafayette and grandparents, Arvid and Selma Sundberg and Jim and Mary Phelan, previously departed this life. Michael received his primary and secondary education in Henderson, TX, after which he served for 12 years, including two tours of combat duty in the Vietnam War, in the U.S. Air Force. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he used the G.I. Bill to attend Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Employed by Zachry Construction for 19 years, Michael thereafter enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a freelance construction-industry consultant. He retired in 2005, however, he got bored and bought a garage-door company, Action Garage Doors, in 2006. In 2013, he suffered a debilitating stroke that eventually forced his retirement, but he nevertheless made a nearly full recovery. All his life, Michael was a passionate cyclist. He took up long-distance road-racing and mountain-biking in his mid-40s and even managed to learn to ride again following his stroke. Until his death, he regularly rode six to eight miles a day. His greatest joy came from bicycling long distances, especially rides of multi-day duration in his beloved home state of Texas. Michael anticipated neither commendation nor condemnation for a life lived fully; he trusted that the final accounting would disclose that the good he did outweighed the bad, and the positive effects he achieved over the years would be greater than the negative ones. He considered his most significant contributions in life to be the deeds he did for others, and his only regret was that he couldn't do more. As an environment and wildlife advocate, Michael did not wish to be buried, but cremated. His ashes will be combined with Judy's after her death. In a few months, there will be a memorial service with military honors at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, TX. The family will announce details as they emerge. Michael asked those who wish to pay tribute to his memory do so by getting the COVID-19 vaccine and wearing masks in public when necessary. He was vaccinated as soon as it was available to him and said, "I've taken every vaccine the U.S. government has asked me to, and I'm not going to stop now."