Michael Jerry Tupa

Michael Jerry Tupa made his mortal debut on May 5, 1956, in Southern California, the first child of Jerry James and Karlene (Saunders) Tupa.

His lovely sister Pam followed him to earth the next year. Karlene, Pam and Mike forged a close relationship during some tough times and found great strength from each other throughout their lives.

Mike served a mission to Northern Italy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated four years of active duty to the United States Marine Corps, graduated from Weber State with a Bachelor of Arts and devoted 36 years to his career as a full-time newspaper sportswriter/sports editor on community publications.

He retired in November 2023 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma - where he had lived since May 1996 as a full-time newspaper sportswriter but continued to provide limited sports coverage at no charge when the paper didn't hire anyone else to take his position. His other newspaper career stops included Ely, Nevada; Moreno Valley, California; and Oroville, California.

Some of his favorite career memories included spending an hour interviewing his childhood sports hero Joe Kapp; befriending former pro wrestler Rey Urbano, who trusted Mike enough to give him his house key so that Mike could feed his dog and goldfish when he traveled; sharing a limousine ride with NFL owner Bud Adams during an interview; obtaining a sideline pass to photograph a NFL game on Christmas Day 1993 in San Francisco; and many other contacts with both famous sports personalities. But he considered covering the sports activities of local athletes - from T-Ball to high school to college to adult sports and local sports history features - as the most rewarding and meaningful aspect of his career.

Mike became acquainted early in life with adaptation. He, Karlene and Pam moved 10 times in his first 11 years. Some of the cities they lived in during that stretch included Manhattan Beach, California; Ogden, Utah; Redondo Beach, California; Eureka, California; Cyprus, California; and Anaheim, California. When Mike turned 11, the family put down roots for several years in Ogden. During that time, he and Pam attended Lynn Elementary and Highland Junior High and Karlene worked as a cleaning lady in the First Security Bank Building on 24th Street. Mike worked as a paperboy for more than two-and-a-half years for the Ogden Standard-Examiner. The family endured some touch financial circumstances during this year but felt overwhelming gratitude for Heavenly Father's spirit and his unmatchable mercy in helping them share love and faith together. In some ways, it was a very happy time. Many relatives and friends also reached out to add joy to their lives.

Some of the adults that made a significant positive impact on Mike's life during this difficult era included sixth-grade teacher Glen Cottle, eighth grade typing teacher Boyd Crawford and Ward Scoutmaster Gary Evertsen.

Karlene, Pam and Mike moved in the spring of 1971 to Kearns, Utah. In the summer of 1972, due to financial reasons, Karlene and Pam would transfer back to Ogden, but Mike stayed in Kearns thanks to the generous offer of his Uncle Larry and Aunt Sandy to live with them and their family while he finished high school. Mike enjoyed very much his years living with his uncle and aunt and made many friends at school and in church.

At age 19, Mike began his missionary service in Italy. A knee injury cut his service a few months short, but he remained profoundly grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary and teach the Gospel. After his mission he moved back in with Karlene and Pam and attended Weber State to major in political science/pre-law. Partway through college he began writing for the college newspaper and shifted his focus to a journalism career.

But after a fruitless job search in the area for a newspaper opening, he enlisted at age 25- and-a-half in the Marine Corps and was trained as a radar technician. His active-duty service extended from 1981 through 1985.

Mike then returned to Ogden and worked for two years as a security guard in Ogden and Salt Lake City while diligently (and desperately) seeking a newspaper job. Finally in December 1987, the Ely Daily Times hired him as a reporter to start a career that extended more than 35 years.

During his Marine Corps years and after, Mike became a distance runner and in 1984 ran a 5K cross country race in 16:50. Among his professional honors included being awarded several annual first-place plaques for sports coverage, writing and photography from the Oklahoma Press Association. In early 2024, representatives of the Oklahoma state legislature presented him with a Proclamation of appreciation approved by the legislature for his work as a sportswriter for more than 25 years in Bartlesville.

In 2019, the Bartlesville Sports Commission placed him into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame. His sister Pam traveled from Ogden to attend the induction ceremony. Pam's presence was Mike's favorite part of the honor.

For more than a quarter-century, Mike attended the Bartlesville First Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, later relabeled as the Silver Lake Ward. His ward members displayed great love and caring for him.

Mike attended the Bartlesville First Ward, starting in 1996 and fostered many friendships. He was grateful for the incredible service, friendship and fellowship many of the ward members provided him throughout his more than 25 years attending the ward.

He was thrilled to receive several annual awards the past decade from the Oklahoma Press Association, including being honored in multiple years with first-place recognition for either best sports coverage, best personal column, best sports photography or best sports story.

Perhaps his most appreciated professional-related award occurred in 2019, when the Bartlesville Sports Commission inducted him into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame. His sister was on hand from Utah to share in that event.

Mike was a life-long poet-seeing approximately 40 of his works appear in various literary journals. He also published books of poetry, short stories, biographies, a musical play about Abraham Lincoln and even a novel, none of which brought much commercial success, but all of which blessed him with a sense of accomplishment.

But, Mike always felt his greatest honors were to be his parents' son, his sister's brother, his church membership and his American citizenship.

Some of his professional highlights included interviewing Tennessee Titans' owner Bud Adams, interviewing former Super Bowl quarterback Joe Kapp, developing a trusted friendship with former pro wrestling legend Rey Urbano, getting to know and corresponding for several years with Nisei World War II hero Rusty Kimura, and many, many other opportunities.

Mike was a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but also appreciated his fellowship with many outstanding non-member relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Preceding him in death were his mother Karlene, sister Pam, father Jerry, all four grandparents, his uncle Mark Saunders, his aunt Barbara (Saunders) Watkins, his aunt Sharon (Saunders) Fuhr, his uncle Henry Tupa, his Aunt Judith (Tupa), and many other beloved relatives and friends.

Survivors, as of June 2021, include his uncle Larry (Sandy) Saunders of Utah, his aunt Carol (DeeJay) Bigler of Utah, his uncle Read (Colleen) Saunders of Arizona, his aunt Angie Winkler of Texas, his aunt Sylvia (Jimmie) Steffek of Texas), his aunt Wilma (Richard) Schaefer of Texas, his great-uncle Glen (Marvetta) Saunders of Utah, his great-uncle Darrell Saunders of Utah, and many cousins, other relatives and friends.

One of Mike's regrets was that he failed to find his eternal companion, despite a valiant effort most of his adult life to find her and marry in the temple and raise a family. He hoped to be worthy to enjoy these blessings in the eternities.

Mike looked forward to the day and hoped he would be worthy to be reunited with his beloved mother and sister and other family members and friends in a more joyful realm— but he also felt profoundly grateful for those many, many patient, kind, forgiving and loving people who helped make his journey through mortal life smoother, more meaningful and happier.