Obituary of Michael "Mike" Alan Wiita

Michael “Mike” Wiita, 54, of South Lake Tahoe, CA, died peacefully in his home on May 17, 2022 after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was born on June 21, 1967, son of Robert (Bob) and Diana (Durgan) Wiita. Mike graduated Hopkinton (NH) High School in 1986. A few years later he graduated from Laconia Vocational Tech with an Associate Degree in Marine Technology. Growing up, Mike loved his grandfather, Ira Durgan. Through “Gramp” he learned to take things apart and put them back together. By his junior year in high school, he had rebuilt an entire car engine for his truck. Then, he bought a Trans Am and took that engine apart and rebuilt that engine. He had a knack for building things. Mike enjoyed doing anything outdoors: Fishing, swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, and skiing. While earning his associate degree, his passion for skiing grew. He could often be found on Outer Limits at Killington ziplining the moguls. As Warren Miller said, the best place to ski in the world is where you are skiing that day. As a graduation present his parents sent him to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada where the US Olympic Team was participating and he said "Dad, I ski as well as they did." Mike worked at Sugarloaf for the race department. He climbed the ladder and soon moved to Denver, CO where he built mogul race courses for the pros at Vail. He also lived in Seattle and skied Mt. Baker. His final destination, a place he often referred to as paradise, was Lake Tahoe, CA where he worked for the race department for several years at Squaw Valley and worked at the marinas in the summer. Mike was a kind man with a sense of humor. He lived a simple life without many material things. He would’ve liked Henry David Thoreau. Henry David Thoreau said, “That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” Whether it be talking to sharks in Hawaii or the bears in Lake Tahoe, Mike loved nature. “Hi Bear” is a story he’d share often of the nature in the Lake Tahoe region. Mike is survived by his parents Bob and Diana Wiita of Concord, NH, his brother Bob and his wife Judy of Denver, CO, his sister Joelle Spear and her husband Rodney and his niece Bella and nephew Anthony of Stow, MA as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. “The mountains are calling and now I must go.” John Muir. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation. https://www.ttcf.net/ways-to-give/urgent-funding-needs/ Memorial Mass June 4 at 11am Christ The King Parish, 72 S. Main Street, Concord NH