Mike Gilpin
HOUGHTON — On Friday, April 24, Michael “Mike” Gilpin, 85, passed away at UP Health System-Marquette following a short illness. His wife was by his side. A resident of Houghton since 1972, Mike worked as a math professor at Michigan Technological University from that year until his retirement in 2006.
Mike and his beloved wife Marlene “Tommy” (Thompson) met at Parsons College in Iowa and were married for 59 years. They were a study in opposites who were perfectly suited for one another; his reflective personality balanced her gregarious nature. They had one child, Jackie, and welcomed son-in-law Cliff Isaacson to the family. Mike’s two grandsons, Clark (19) and Luke (17) brought him endless joy and he was extremely proud of them.
The third of six children, Mike was born in Washington, Iowa, to Frances (Boyd) and Ambrose “Gip” Gilpin. He realized, thanks to his older brother Pat, that a college education would open up many doors, so he earned straight A’s as a senior at Wellman High School to be eligible for a college scholarship. He was admitted to Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, where he studied mathematics. While there, he joined Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and was elected student body president. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in applied mathematics from the University of Arizona and his Ph.D. in algebra at the University of Oregon. His dissertation, which he dedicated “To Tommy,” was on “Tensor Products of Monomial Forms and Related Forms.”
Job opportunities were scarce for math professors in the early 70s, but a mentor offered Mike a job at Tech. When they looked at a map of Michigan, he and Tommy thought they were moving to Houghton Lake. They lived in married student housing before buying their first-ever home, where they continued to reside, in West Houghton.
Professionally, Mike advanced from an assistant professor to full professor. His favorite course to teach was differential equations. He was known by students as an excellent teacher who was “tough but fair.” He had articles in several publications, including a common theme of combining his love of math with his love of chess, with “Computer-Generated Knight Tours.” Other academic articles focused on algebra, combinatorics, discreet mathematics, and applications of computer science to mathematical principles. He took three sabbaticals while at Tech: to the University of Illinois (for Tommy to complete her master’s degree), the NASA Space Center in Houston, and Southern Polytechnic State University in Atlanta (to spend time with Jackie’s family). Decades before “virtual meetings,” Mike taught a distance learning course for employees of General Motors, in lower Michigan, which was delivered by videotape and his occasional in-person visits.
Mike was a behind-the-scenes volunteer, never in a prominent position but regularly quietly helping where needed. He was the treasurer of the Portage Lake Figure Skating Association, a chaperone for the Special Olympics, on the board of the Miscowaubik Club, and he directed a mathematics enrichment program for students from six local high schools. He was also an enthusiastic and patient math tutor or billiards instructor whenever asked – thrilled to share those passions and his expertise with others. He was inducted into the Parsons College Wall of Honor in 2015.
His hobbies included playing bridge, chess, pool, golf, solving sudoku puzzles (sometimes using a computer program he wrote to help with the most difficult ones), and watching “Jeopardy” and “Perry Mason.” He loved a good pun. Mike was a bridge Bronze Life Master, a competitive chess player, and a Recognized Instructor for the Billiard Congress of America.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents and siblings John, Pat, and Cecilia. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his sister Mary Minshall and brother Bill. Mike also leaves behind his cousin Leo Gilpin and several nieces and nephews. Additionally, Mike and Tommy were “American parents” to exchange students Mioko Suzuki, Cato Aurstad, and Ryo Okuda.
A devout Catholic, Mike was on the Parish Council for several years, a volunteer catechist, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. His faith gave him strength in life and he would want that strength for his loved ones now.
A mass of Christian burial at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Houghton will be held on Monday, July 27, with visitation at 10:00 a.m., service at 11:00 a.m., reception following, and interment at Forest Hill Cemetery of Houghton.
To view Mike’s obituary or to send condolences online to the family, please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Hancock Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements.