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He had that “quirky smile and a sense of style” and knew how to play the “CT” – the cute factor.
He was also heartbreaker who, according to his sister Molly, is probably now breaking hearts in heaven. The life of Michael Tepe was celebrated last night in a memorial service that was reflective of the way Michael lived his life – with realism and humor, and with a dash of something unique splashed in, too. “No one wants to be here tonight,” celebrant Dan Flory said to a packed house at Clearcreek Christian Assembly. At Michael’s tender age of 22, his death was a terrible shock. “We’ll never get over it. We may come to terms with it, but it will always leave a hole in our hearts.” Michael touched so many lives, said Mr. Flory, who is a professor in Cincinnati. “Each of you is different because of him.” Judging from the number of people who attended, there’s no doubt that statement is true. The visitors first started arriving around 4:00 and the stream of well-wishers kept coming until the time of the service at 7:00 p.m. “It means a lot,” Michael’s father Bill Tepe said, mustering all the strength he could. He and his wife Sharon were amazed at how many showed up. “On behalf of our entire family, we thank you.” MICHAEL GRADUATED in 2010 from Springboro High School, where he played football and basketball and was loved by classmates, teachers and coaches. Since then, he has been a student and played football at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. Michael’s Springboro #22 football jersey hung at the top of his casket. His Mount St. Joseph’s #18 hung from the bottom. The musical selections were contemporary cutting edge numbers that speak the musical language of a typical 22-year-old – “Free Faillin’ by John Mayer, which closed out the service, and “Every Breath You Take” with Puff Daddy and Sting, featuring Faith Evans, which played along with a photo collage at the beginning of it. Every step I take, every move I make/ Every single day, every time I pray/ I'll be missing you/ Thinkin of the day, when you went away/ What a life to take, what a bond to break / I'll be missing you/ {Puff} I miss you Big Michael died Sunday, November 10, 2013, in an automobile accident. Springboro football coach Ryan Wilhite said the bond between the seniors on the 2009 team, when Michael played with Jason Stinebaugh, Ben Kuczek , Antonio Campbell and Jake Dwyer, among others, was about as close as any class he’s coached at Springboro in the eight years he has been there. Wilhite said Michael was a captain of the ’09 team in part because of his football ability, but mainly because of the way he handled himself. Michael used his popularity and his charisma to become “magnetic” to those around him. It showed both on the field and away from it. “He was fun to watch,” Wilhite said. “I was on the phone Monday with Jason Stinebaugh, who’s kept in touch with Michael. I wanted to know how Michael was thought of down there (at College of Mount St. Joseph’s). Jason said, ‘Coach, everybody loved him, just like they did at Springboro.” Bill Tepe said, “Sometimes he could put on a tough exterior, but deep down he was a softie and everyone knew it.” Anna Castro, Michael’s girlfriend, wore Michaels’ home Springboro basketball jersey. “He had a heart for everybody,” she said, “He’s now moved on to a better place, but he will still be with each of you. He wouldn’t want to see tears of pain from any of us.” Michael’s brother Peter made four points, one for each down in a football series. His last point mentioned bags that will be made and circulated that say, “Believe,” a phrase Michael embraced so much that it is tattooed on him. Peter encouraged everyone to carry the bag all over the world and have a picture taken with it, sending it back to the family so that it can see, in a symbolic way, Michael’s influence being seen and felt the world over. MR. FLORY CLOSED the evening with a tender-hearted talk directly to the family, saying that in this difficult time it is best to be as positive as possible. “Honor the life Michael lived, and celebrate it.” “Believe,” as Michael did. Wear your belief in your actions and in your words, where they can carry more impact than the symbol of a tattoo. “Believe in yourself, in your family and God,” Mr. Flory said. Be positive. “If given the chance,” Mr. Flory concluded, “Michael would say to his mom and his dad, ‘I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” And there would be number of other sentiments Michael would have shared about last Sunday night, ending with “but you can’t imagine how beautiful heaven is.” Be positive. “He was a good young man who could charm the socks off anyone,” Mr. Flory said. So share the stories, laugh with one another, and talk to Michael. Give it time. So be positive. “He was the boy every family wants to have,” Mr. Flory said. “He lived in the moment.” Judging from the outpouring of love that has come through phone calls, personal visits and social media, there’s no question Michael Tepe’s life made a powerful influence on so many people. Now, for a while, Michael’s will dance with John Mayer for a little bit: I wanna glide down over Mulholland / I wanna write her name in the sky / Gonna free fall out into nothing / Gonna leave this world for a while / Now I’m free… free falling’. Though he will be sorely missed in this life, the collective sentiment is that he is in the middle of everything somewhere in heaven, making friends and building relationships along the way. No doubt, too, he’s singing this song with that quirky little smile with style, still playing the CT. So long, Michael. Until we all meet again. |