Michael John Boone

Michael John Boone, age 70, passed away peacefully at his home in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on December 23, 2025, with his daughters by his side.

Visitation will be held Friday, January 2, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Bayview Funeral Home. Funeral services will take place Saturday, January 3, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Theodore’s Catholic Church, with visitation one hour prior to the service.

Mike was born on February 3, 1955, in Rochester, Minnesota, to George and Mary Boone. He was raised in Albert Lea, spending summers in Chatfield working on his family’s farm. He attended Albert Lea High School and graduated from Riverland Community College with an industrial maintenance certificate and a boiler’s license.

Before marriage, Mike was a traveling man, living in California and Texas, collecting stories and adventures along the way. His children often joked that he was like a cat with nine lives, having experienced more than most.

Mike married Michelle Dupont in 1987. They divorced in 2006 but remained friends, celebrating many holidays and special events together. Together, they raised three children, who were the center of everything he did, and created a second home for the family at Beaver Trails, camping there each summer and making memories that his children cherished forever.

He took pride in his career, which included over 17 years at Streater’s and Riverland Community College, where he worked in maintenance until retiring in June of this year.

A man of many passions, Mike had a true gift for pool. He played in the Masters Pool League for many years, forming lifelong friendships and competing at the international level in Las Vegas. He loved recounting winters spent traveling south before having children, playing pool for money all the way to Texas. From his basement, Mike ran “Boone’s Billiards,” restoring and repairing cues with remarkable skill. His reputation preceded him, and his daughters often heard, “Are you Mike Boone’s kid?”—a question that filled them with pride.

Mike also loved men’s league softball and played for decades. One of his favorite memories was the summer both his daughters joined his team, allowing the family to play together. He also coached his daughters’ teams growing up.

A lifelong Minnesota sports fan, Mike never missed a Vikings or Twins game, proudly raising his sports flags for every matchup and cheering passionately alongside family and friends.

Above all else, Mike was a devoted father, a true girl dad, a trusted giver of life advice, and the greatest Papa. His steady reassurance that “everything always gets better” was advice he lived by. Family, integrity, and keeping his word mattered most to him. Mike will be deeply missed and forever loved.

He is survived by his daughters, Marissa (Keaton) Boone of Austin, MN, and MaKenzie (Andy) Boone of Albert Lea, MN; grandchildren, Myah, Oliver, and Addy; sisters, Kathleen Anderson, Georgiann (Ken) Quinn, and Vickie (Bruce) Spilde; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, George Boone; mother, Mary Boone; son, Mario Boone; grandparents, John and Allene Burke; aunts, Margaret Burke and Therese Donnelly; uncle, Paul Burke; and close family friend, Les Bethke.