R. Michael 'Mike' Hannon, 61

Ronald Michael Hannon, M.D., passed away on March 27, 2012.

He was born in Kansas City, Mo., to Stanley and Barbara Hannon on Oct. 3, 1950, and was raised in Miami.

Mike, as he preferred to be called, attended Florida State University and the University of Miami medical school. After completing a family practice residency in Omaha, Neb., Mike moved with his wife Karen Ulmer to Columbia Falls to join the Professional Center. He practiced medicine in Columbia Falls for 10 years. After leaving the Professional Center he became a locum tenens doctor working all around Montana, as well as in Oregon, Alaska and Wisconsin.

Mike was very creative and enjoyed a wide variety of hobbies, including wood working, fishing, gardening and cooking. But what he was known best for was his beer making. Mike was an extraordinary home brewer who won several national awards for his brews. He loved to make it, he loved to share it and really loved to talk about it! Dubbed “The Beer Guru” by family and friends, he would pour you a beer and then launch into a detailed explanation of how it was made. After leaving the medical profession, Mike worked at the Lang Creek Brewery. In recent years, the beer guru could most often be found sharing beer stories at The Cottage Inn in Kila.

Mike is survived by his children, Nicholas Hannon and his wife Holly of Bozeman, and Kimberly Hannon Teal and her husband Chris of Rochester, N.Y.; father, Stanley, of Melbourne, Fla.; brother, Terry Hannon, of Baltimore; and sister, Kitty Smith, and her husband, Stu, of Camino Island, Wash.; as well as numerous other family and friends.

A “Celebrate Mike's Life” memorial will be held this summer when his family members are able to get to his beloved Montana. All of the “Beer Guru's” friends are invited to come share a beer and share a story.