We Remember
BALDIGARA, Michael Anthony
November 10, 1961 — October 25, 2022
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Michael Anthony Baldigara after a short yet courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He leaves heartbroken his wife of 29 years, Marie; two sons Reid and Cole; his father Michael Baldigara; a brother Tom (Jan); a sister Teresa (Randy); a large extended family and numerous friends.
Mike was a kind and gentle soul, with an incredible strength and determination. He loved his family deeply, he cherished his wife, was so very proud of his boys and felt so very fortunate to have lived the life he had. He loved children and was a super Uncle to many lucky little ones in his life. He loved the outdoors, and always felt grateful living in such a beautiful part of the world. He was one with the mountains, lakes, and forests, and happiest on the open road with the wind in his face. He loved music, travel and learning, aways sharing the latest of what he learned on a podcast.
As a teen, a teacher encouraged him to run cross country. That sparked a lifetime passion for sport, fitness and nutrition. Mike was constantly setting goals, for his family, his sports and his business. He loved triathlons most of all, his biggest accomplishment being Ironman Canada in his 20s. He loved teaching his boys sports, and loved watching them play and find their passion and joy through exercise and the outdoors. He was happiest finding new mountains to climb and trails to ride. He had fond memories helping St. Joseph kids in cross country running. He loved sharing his knowledge and most recently coaching athletes.
He inspired many people who knew him, but never as much as when he was sick. He took his chemo drugs in a bottle as he rode his bike, he got up early and hiked mountains to see as many sunrises as he could, he filled his days doing what he loved. Mike was always positive, the glass was always half full. He considered himself a lucky man, even after the diagnosis.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.” We are so grateful for these moments that we had to share with Mike….We will love you forever.
We would like to thank our amazing health care team: the palliative care nurses, you truly are angels that walk the earth, Dr. Mackenzie and Mo, Dr. Ron Schreimer, Dr. Amigo, Dr. Mark Cseszko, and Dr. Donna McCallister. And many thanks to family and friends for all the love and support throughout this journey.
A Memorial Service will be held for Mike on Friday, November 11, 2022, at 10:00 am, at Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC. If you are unable to attend in person, please join the family online by Livestream at the time of the service (see below), a recording will be made available to view shortly thereafter.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Pancreatic Cancer Canada.
If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.
Service
Friday, November 11, 2022, at 10:00 am
Location
Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC
Share with Others:
Pancreatic Cancer Canada Link: www.pancreaticcancercanada.ca
Service Information
Service Details
The service for BALDIGARA, Michael Anthony is scheduled for Friday, November 11, 2022, at 10:00 am. Below you will find the map for the service location and the contact information should you have any questions.
Address & Contact for Service Location:
Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC
2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC
Phone:
Special Requests:
None.
Funeral Pointers:
Condolences
Marie, we send you and your beautiful family our heartfelt thoughts, love and prayers. May God bless you with strength and courage.
Yvette and Guy Nobert
Dear Marie.
I am very sorry for your loss. Mike sounds like a terrific guy who lived life to the fullest. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your boys.
Michael, was a patient at the dental clinic I work at. Michael never felt like a patient but more of a friend. A friend that always gave great advice.. on how to tackle hills during a marathon to tips on how to get my daughter to ride a bike. He was always proud to talk about his family and his children’s successes. This news is shocking, my heart goes out to the Baldigara family.
Mike fought this battle with grace and courage. His strength and attitude was so admirable. He will be forever missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Our sincerest condolences to you Michael and the family, All our love. Ian and Helen
To Marie Baldigara and family, we have just received the sad news of Mike’s passing, please accept our condolences., you’re in our thoughts and prayers.
Rene and Theresa Briere.
Marie, it’s been many years since I saw you both, I remember how happy you were and I heard over the years that never changed. I am so very sorry to hear of Mike’s passing, I wish I could say or do something that would ease the pain. I hope the many great memories of your time together and the love shared will bring you comfort and peace .
My sincere condolences to you and your family.
Duane Ritter
Dear Uncle Mike,
Sorry that it has been a long time since we saw you last. We wish to send you our deepest sympathy of your loss.
I wish I could have met Mike Jr. too.
Ray Clements and Stella Holliday
Marie and boys, our hearts are broken for you all during this time ! Mike will forever be In your hearts . Our thoughts are with you ! We are forever grateful that you and Mike invited us to Kananaskis 30+ years ago . We have many fond memories of being with the two of you ! Love Donna & Ron Matthezing
Sending our heartfelt ❤️🙏❤️Condolences to you Marie and the boys ..Brianna and Jamie have such happy memories of summer days at your pool with the four of you. Mike was a nice man who is gone too soon
Sending lots of hugs ❤️💕
Sending our condolences to whole Baldigara family 🙏🙏
I remember being in Phoenix with Julie when you (Marie) and Mike came over to the house. We were swimming in the pool, having a couple drinks, and I thought Mike would probably escape (like most of our husbands in those moments) to anywhere but with this loud talking, big laughing small clan of women. No way! He stayed and participated (where he could get a word in) but he always had that same enigmatic smile that I believe was saying “isn’t life great?!” His energy will continue on and your memories will be filled with love. Warm hugs and condolences from Leslie, Jesse, Kevin and Zach.
We so admired Mike for his positive outlook; it conveyed calmness, beauty, and gratitude.
We send our love and deepest condolences to his beautiful family, Marie, Reid, Cole(Rachel). In an email a few months back, Mike expressed his love and gratefulness for his family and considered himself to be the “luckiest of men”. This was the most challenging ride of his life, and he had the best possible team cheering him on. We hope everyone who loved him find comfort in knowing this as they reflect on many beautiful, shared memories.
Julie, Murray, and family xo
Marie, please accept my deepest of condolences for your loss. Having worked for him for many years, I was very grateful for his consideration of my need for this job initially and hired me in spite of the fact that another applicant was far more qualified than I was. He said that I wanted the job more and that was good enough for him. He was very generous and paid for the balance of our accommodations in Maui for our honeymoon. These are very special memories of your dear husband that I will always remember. Sending prayers from our family here in St. Albert.
Dear Marie
I was so sorry to hear of Mike’s passing and send sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and your boys on your immense loss. I did not have the privilege of knowing Mike but by all accounts he was a wonderful man who loved his family deeply. May the love you shared and the many cherished memories of your life together remain in your hearts forever and bring you peace, comfort and courage at this time of sorrow and loss.
With deepest sympathy,
Marlys
Good Evening Marie & the Whole Baldigara Family,
Honorable Mike Baldigara is important to my whole household. He will forever be a mentor of mine. God bless his soul. Honorable Mike Baldigara revolutionized my life. It is because of him and him introducing me to Steve Baldigara (whom I absolutely love and respect) why my family had the opportunity to finance my first son’s future & the rest of my house hold. Now Steve Baldigara is not only my superior whom I love, but also a great Friend and current Mentor: he is Family. With my Friend Clayton, Honorable Mike Baldigara taught me the Furniture Business, since 2009. He started me off in my High-end Furniture moving business call Brownshark Enterprises Inc. Honorable Mike Baldigara is the man. My House can never & will never forget him and his Family. We are still in shock & it brings us great sorrow. He is definitely a athletic person, he is an example to us all. Also, he is smart, well groomed and classy. He has great organizing skills, great book keeping and planning. But most of all, Honorable Mike Baldigara is a great and merciful man. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob forever bless him and his whole lineage. We forever love him.
Best regards,
Shawn Brown, Terrian Brown & Family
Mark and I were saddened to hear of Mike’s passing and want to offer our sincere sympathy. He certainly lived life to the fullest and lived with gratitude, which is an amazing inspiration. We recall how much he loved your trips to Maui and all of the beautiful family memories you created together. We hope that you and your sons will find comfort in the many happy memories of the wonderful life you shared together.
Laurel and Mark
Please accept our condolences on Michael’s passing. One thing that comes to my mind is a saying I heard in India. They say “he left the body on this day and he went to the Light”. This helps me to accept the reason God called Michael away.
One of my memories of Michael is seeing him as a young boy always with a smile and being a bundle of fun. That is how I see him now. Much love and prayers to you. George and Honor
Dearest Marie, Reid and Cole,
Please accept our deepest sympathies. Mike was an amazing, kind and generous person. We are honoured to have known him.
I’m fondly remembering a New Year’s Eve when all the kids were very young. We couldn’t stay awake until midnight and had to end the evening early. Something we all laughed about for many years. Missing you Marie. Love to all of you. Karen, Kate and Caroline.
Dear Marie, our hearts break for the loss of your dear Mike. We enjoyed spending time with you whenever we visited the Okanagan. May your memories carry you through this difficult time.
Love, Melany and Terry Carter
Dear Family of Mike,
I am cousin to Mike, Tom and Teresa, daughter of Aunt Barbara’s eldest sister, Ellen, and the photo I’ve attached below is the last time I saw my cousins. I am so deeply sorry for your loss and I’m also sorry I never was able to see any of you over the years. Uncle Mike, you have a wonderful family and Mike was so well-loved by all, Aunt Barb would be so proud, as all of you are. I and my cousin Raymond and Uncle Albert and Aunt May were so sad to hear this news, and that we never had any contact for so many years, We wish all the best to you all in this challenging time.
Uncle Albert is 94 and he is Aunt Barb’s last remaining sibling. We celebrated his and Aunt May’s 72nd wedding anniversary in September. Again, my deepest condolences to you all.
Sending love and blessings,
Maggie, Vancouver.
I am so sad to hear about this. My Mother also lost her battle with pancreatic cancer as well. I never knew Michael but I was aquainted with his Father in Canada through spades. I send my deepest sympathy to his wife and sons, and to Michael and the rest of his family. He sounds like he was a truly wonderful person, and enjoyed a very full life.
I forgot to add, that I would love to talk with Michael Sr., if someone can convey this message. My husband and I have lost our information for him in our move. My number is still the same as it was when we last talked, 217-429-4949 and I still go by Boop. Again I am so very sorry for your loss, and hope this request is not out of line. RIP Michael