Michael Tarpenning

Michael Darrin Tarpenning, age 51, passed away Friday April 21, 2017. He was was born in Boulder, Colorado to Bobby Gene and Emily Ryan Tarpenning in March of 1966. Before his first birthday, the family returned to Oklahoma City. He attended schools in the Putnam City ISD through second grade. After a year in Humble the family moved to Keller, TX in 1974 and Mike graduated from Keller High School in 1984. Mike enjoyed playing different instruments including trombone and French horn in the marching, symphonic and jazz bands. He later attended Tarrant County College. From that time on Mike learned every step in the making of fine jewelry, from melting the gold to designing. Mike was a certified gemologist in diamonds. He worked for Inspirus in Fort Worth for nearly 30 years, the last few years as Director of Fulfillment and Production Operations. He loved his job and the people he worked with.

In 1988, he met the love of his life, Christine. Their first date was on Valentine’s day 1988 when they went to see a performance of Aerosmith & Dokken. On December 26, 1988, they married. They made a wonderful life together and with Mike’s support and encouragement, Christine opened and runs a successful business, The BarberShop in Keller. After over 21 years of marriage, they were blessed with a beautiful daughter in 2010, Jennifer Aspen Tarpenning. Mike loved them above all else and they love him more than anything else in this world. Mike and Christine were married for more the 28 years.

He also loved God, and loved his family. Mike was raised in the Methodist faith, but he was studying to become a Catholic and attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. He was overjoyed to be a father. He and daughter Jennifer (along with Aunt Ginny) built big Lego projects together and he taught her how to play video games. Their favorite was Minecraft.

Besides his wife Christine and daughter Jennifer, Mike is survived by his father Bob Tarpenning and his wife Patsy of Cleburne TX; his mother, Emily Tarpenning of Denton TX; sister Virginia “Ginny” Richards and her husband Martin of Denton TX, father-in-law and mother-in-law Jim and Camille Kissell of Watauga TX, brother-in-law Michael Lugas and his stepson Kraig of Ohio, sister-in-law Elizabeth Eliason and her husband James of Washington, nieces Holly and Heidi, nephews Nikolas and Noah, and many friends. He will be greatly missed.

Mike was a jokester and had a great sense of humor. Any who knew him well would not be surprised to see a roll of the eyes or hear a sarcastic, but joking comment. He liked to help others, liked to organize and was very talented at problem solving.

He was prepared, making sure everyone else was taken care of, expressing his love, leaving nothing unfinished with his loved ones and friends. He had promised God that he would not give up his six-year fight to survive eosinophilic pneumonia; he did his best to keep that promise.

He carried these words in his wallet the last few years. We have tried to transcribe them exactly as he wrote them and believe they illustrate his philosophy and goals for his life:

He loved God and always reminded us that God loves us. Mike cared about his wife and daughter. He loved them both immensely. He tried hard to provide what we needed. He told us he loved us. He tried to give good advice. He tried to provide a nice place for us to live. He wanted his wife to be independent so she would be prepared for this day.

He wanted to send Jenny to the best possible schools so she would get a good education and be able to be prosperous. He tried to teach Jen right from wrong. He wanted her to be prepared to be different from the world in this regard. The straight and narrow path is not the easy one.
He liked to have fun, play games, watch TV and movies, and relax with his family. From the time Jenny was born he tried to make changes. To improve his health by exercising and eating right. He wanted to be able to take Jenny places and be able to keep up.

He tried to teach her that love is the most important thing in life. Love of God, love of family, love of friends, and even of strangers. Money and possessions are OK but not that important. He worked hard at his job. He wanted to be successful so others would be successful too. He was lucky to have a job at a place where people cared about each other and treated each other well. He worked for a man that understood what is important in life and cared more for his employees than the company itself. Mike always tried to follow his example and hoped that his boss would remember him as someone who appreciated the opportunity and was a good steward of the benefits provided. Mike didn’t have many friends but that was OK with him. He wanted to devote his time to his family and job.

The most important thing he wanted to do was to make sure his daughter would be prepared for life as an adult and that she knew he loved her and that he would always be there for her as long as he could. If he had to leave it was not his choice. His wife and daughter were his two greatest blessings and he wants them to know he loves them and is proud of them.

He is proud of his wife for the way she takes care of the family and the house and the garden and cars and keeps her business running. He hopes it will last for her lifetime. He hopes Jenny will be successful in her career and that she will do better than himself but remember that, while money is fun and can get you stuff and entertainment, at the end of the day it’s love and family that matter. He hopes he has left us with the means and support and legacy to have a happy life and always remember he loved God and his family more than anything. He wanted to be a good husband and Dad!

Key points:
Loved God
Accepted Jesus
Loved wife and daughter
Loved pets
Loved job
Loved to joke
Wanted to do well for family
Wanted family to do well when he was gone.

Visitation: 5-8pm Monday, April 24 at Lucas Funeral Home Keller Chapel (817)753-6800.
Funeral Mass: 11am, Tuesday, April 25 at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Keller.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that you consider donating to Jennifer’s educational fund (details will be available soon) or the simple gesture of providing a gift card to allow Chris and Jennifer to enjoy a meal out when schedules get crazy. This is much appreciated!