Pensacola Unitarians are among family, friends, fans and spiritual folks mourning the passing of Mo Michel, a UUCP member from 1998 to 2013, who died Oct. 18 in Littleton, CO.

Mo was a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, a seven times board member of the Theosophical Society of America, a religious explorer and, according to a close Pensacola friend, Bill Caplinger, “he was a searcher his whole life.”

Mo and his wife, Lucy, settled in Pensacola after he retired from the military and from an administrative job with Hughes Aircraft. They moved in 2013 to Colorado, their longtime residence in prior years, and to be close to family members there.

Mo died of a disorder that caused brain bleeding, at age 81, and after suffering in August the last in a series of strokes through the years. That last stroke, said Lucy, came the day after they returned home from a much enjoyed Roads Scholar trip to Columbia River Gorge and several national parks. Internment of his ashes is scheduled for Nov. 20, with military honors, at Fort Logan National Cemetery at Denver.

While in Pensacola, Mo was appreciated by many friends for the living room discussions on spiritual topics that he and Lucy hosted. For a number of years, said Lucy, Mo was involved in Buddhist meditation, and he also became very active in the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875. According to its web site, the society “encourages open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science and the arts.”

Bill Caplinger has many memories of Mo. “He was very much a nature person and a biker. He would bike to Mobile and back, and to the beach from their Spanish Trail home. Mo and I did yard work at the church; I would bring the mower and Mo mowed the church lawn.

“He was devoted to Lucy. And when Lucy decided that the rituals of the Catholic Church spoke to her, he respected that.”

Lucy said her husband was also active in charitable work in Littleton. An organization called BakPak, sponsored there by the Light of the World Catholic Church, provides weekend food bags for children in need of supplemental food. “Mo and I worked in it for five years, packing 10 to 18 items for each bag, and then delivering to the schools. The church does 230 bags every week, at 20 different schools.”

Remembrance gifts for Mo can be made to BakPak, to the Theosophical Society based at Wheaton, IL, or the Denver Audubon at 9308 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128.