Micheal Thurman Tappan, 62,
"has gone before us into the presence of the Lord," on Oct. 18, 2008, in the Philippines where he had been a pastor/missionary for the last 22 years. Death was due to natural causes.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the New Covenant Church, 436 Birch Grove Road, Kalispell. Burial services, with full military honors, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Church of the Rock, in Sunburst.
Micheal is survived by his wife of 37 years, Carol; sons, Joshua and Patricia Tappan of Colorado, and Caleb and Kara Tappan of North Carolina; daughter, Sarah, and Darrell McGill, of Texas; six grandchildren; sisters, Janet Minnerly of Great Falls, and Nancy Weir of Anderson, Calif.; brother, William Tappan, of Whitefish; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Micheal was born Sept. 5, 1946, in Minneapolis, the son of Thurman and Helen (Lubke) Tappan. He was raised in Wyoming and Montana, graduating from Whitefish High School.
His life interests were: love of God, the military, hunting, flying (pilot), scuba diving, computers and all electrical gadgets.
Micheal joined the Navy right out of high school, serving in the Vietnam War. Upon his Naval discharge, he became an officer for the Great Falls Police Department. He left the police department to join the Green Berets, an elite branch of the Army.
He and Carol Riley of Kalispell were married July 8, 1971, in North Carolina, where he was stationed.
Micheal went from service to his beloved country to serving his beloved Lord and Savior. His unique combination of spirituality and earthiness was refreshing. He and his wife, Carol, and their children Joshua, Caleb and Sarah left for the Philippines in 1987 to begin a ministry that would continue until the end of his life.
Micheal was preceded in death by his parents, Helen and Thurman Tappan.
Micheal will be remembered as more than a "character" but a man who had character .
"Well done, good and faithful servant; come and join in your master's happiness" - Matthew 25:21