Michael Joseph Lo Porto

Michael Joseph Lo Porto passed away at his home on Dec. 6, 2014. Arrangements will be announced later.

Mike was born Jan. 13, 1950, in Orange County, Calif., to Samuel and Joanne Lo Porto.

Mike grew up on the ocean and was in love with it as soon as he first laid eyes on it, which was also often the cause for his absence in the schoolroom yet he would still maintain an A average.

Being the only boy in the household growing up and having two younger sisters they often recall him terrorizing them often in true big brother fashion.

In the early 1980s he came to North Idaho where he found a piece of land that he fell in love with and the rest of his immediate family soon followed. Mike was a jack of all trades who did everything from raise livestock, log with his prized draft horses Whispy, Sandy, and Pete as well as build custom log homes.

He played a key role in helping to start the Hall Mountain Volunteer Fire Department which has truly become a widely known and well respected department.

Mike was a free spirited man and was content with living a very basic and simple way of life and in the year 2001 he wanted to get back to what he love so much growing up so he moved to Maui, Hawaii, where he could be with his family members that he was so close with as a child and be back at the beach where he could swim and surf as much as he wanted.

In 2008 he moved back to Idaho, or back to his “Mountain” as he called it where he could be closer to his sons, parents, sisters and grandchildren.

He lived in his Louis Lamour line shack (home) on the river as he called it where he did not have running water or power just his books his lantern and his radio and that was all he needed.

His home and the people where he lived in Idaho were very near and dear to his heart and he was one of the kindest souls anyone’s ever met. In his final months he battled a severe illness without one single complaint and maintained his dignity throughout.

Even in the midst of difficult times he would say “I am blessed” and he believed that right up until he went home to be with the Lord. Mike is survived by his sisters Katherine (Mike), Patti, and Nancy (Richard), his sons Matt (Kat), Cody (Lori), and Joseph (Briana), and his grandchildren Autumn (Cody), and Neriah (Joseph).