[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4282]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN MEMORY OF THE LATE JOHN MICHAEL ``MIKE'' SEGER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 11, 2004

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of John 
Michael ``Mike'' Seger. Mike was born on May 16, 1957 in Fort Lee, 
Virginia and later grew up in central Iowa. Mike was the eldest of 
eight children born into a family with a rich military history. 
Although unable to continue in the tradition of his grandfather, who 
served in the Pacific front during World War II, and his father, who 
served in the Army, due to an accident that left him blind in one eye, 
Mike grew up with a strong sense of responsibility and a keen 
intellect.
  After graduating from Lakeview High School, Mike attended Briar Cliff 
College in Iowa for two years before moving to Vermont in 1978. There 
he met his wife of 24 years, Jane, across the parking lot of the Midas 
Muffler in Burlington where he worked. Together they started a family 
with the birth of daughter, Laura, in 1981 and then with the three 
month premature birth of their triplets, John Richard, Jennifer and 
Amanda in 1982. Sadly, Amanda passed away nine days later due to a 
ruptured heart valve.
  While a bookkeeper for Midas Mike's love of and involvement in the 
automotive industry began. He later followed that love to St. Paul, 
Minnesota where he began working for Lehman's Garage, Inc. Through the 
years Mike advanced to Chief Financial Officer and served on numerous 
automotive industry committees, such as NACE, NABC and ICAR. On 
December 3, 2003, Mike received the first ever ``Q'' Award from the 
National Auto Body Council in recognition of the ``individual who 
quietly persist in doing the right thing for the Collision Repair 
Industry.''
  After being diagnosed with Stage Four Colon Cancer in June of 2003, 
Mike was blessed with the help of the many friends he had acquired 
during his journey. He was also recently reunited with the son, Travis 
Tentinger, he had given up for adoption in 1978 and discovered that he 
was a grandfather of three adorable children. Although Mike's battle 
with his cancer ended on February 4, 2004, this reunion and the 
constant support of his friends and family made the last months of 
Mike's life as full as possible.
  Mike Seger was the type of man who is the backbone of community life 
in our country: quiet, dependable, hardworking. I urge the House to 
join me in mourning the passage of Mike Seger and extending our 
condolences to his family and friends.

                          ____________________