After more than a year-long battle with prostate cancer metastasized to the bone, long-time Lopez Island resident Mike Bergstrom, 73, died peacefully on the island on March 12, 2021.
At his side was his beloved wife of 53 years, Robin, as well as their two children and two of their five grandchildren.
Mike and Robin owned and operated the MacKaye Harbor Inn from 1985 until last fall. The internationally known bed and breakfast received wide recognition including features in Sunset and Coastal Living magazines.
The inn allowed the couple to embrace their passion for meeting new people and sharing hospitality.
Mike told many that the last years of his life were his best because he fervently studied Scripture and became closer to God and a conviction of true forgiveness and divine love which he wanted to share with others.
Those that knew him well recall fondly how he was full of ideas and suggestions and his willingness to impart them. It is frequently noted how Mike took a deep personal interest in others’ lives, quietly reaching out to many.
The Lewiston, Idaho, native (Nov. 26, 1947) read voraciously, notably the Bible, religious themes, history, inspiring lifestyles, sports, music and travel.
His fervor for sailing led to seafaring adventures with family and friends in the San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Inside Passage, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and French Polynesia. When first arriving on Lopez Island in 1978, the family with its two young children actually lived two-and-a-half years on a sailboat.
Mike is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Melissa of Sahuarita, Arizona, and their three children (Skyler, Keegan, Elliana); and his daughter and son-in-law, Ingrid and Bret Thornton of Mount Vernon, Washington, and their two children (Kylie and Blake).
Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Duane “Bergie” in 2014 and Phyllis in 1997. The couple had also resided on Lopez.
Mike inherited a passion for golf from his father and passed it down to his son. All three played at a professional level.
Mike attended the University of Oregon in 1966 on a full golf scholarship. He left college after his sophomore year to pursue entrepreneurial instincts which included the design and construction of an executive par-three golf course, Golf City, in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1974.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, at Lopez Island Community Church where the Bergstrom family has worshipped since 1981. In a note to the Lopez community, the family said, “Everyone is welcome, just as Mike would have it.”
They also said Mike wanted to call attention to a favorite Bible verse, John 15:12. “This is my commandment; that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mike’s remains will be placed by the family next to his mother and father in the Lopez Island Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has requested that persons consider donations to Truth for Life, https://www.truthforlife.org/; Focus on the Family, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/; or the Lopez Island public swimming pool project, FLIP, https://www.lopezislandpool.org/.
The Bergstrom Family expressed deep appreciation for the keen wisdom and profound support of Hospice of the Northwest. They also stated that “having lived on Lopez for 43 years, we were not surprised by the overwhelming willingness of offers of all sorts and prayer over the last year which is a testimony to how the Lopez Island people care for one another. It made a very tough journey a blessing.”
Outreach to the Bergstrom family may be done via emailing Robin at mackayeharbor@rockisland.com.
