Michael Russell Page

Michael Russell Page died peacefully at his home in Nashville Wednesday after a lengthy battle with ALS. He was 67 years old. Born May 30, 1955, in Queens, NY, Mike, as he was better known, grew up the eldest of three brothers in Levittown, NY. Coming of age during the height of the baby boom in America’s most famous postwar suburb, Mike stood out in a crowded neighborhood as uncommonly gifted in academics and extracurriculars. The son of a carpenter and a first-generation Irish-American homemaker, Mike didn’t just become the first member of the family to attend college but changed his clan’s educational horizons overnight when he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. There, he studied finance at the prestigious Wharton School and played lacrosse. His little brothers would both follow his example, playing lacrosse at two of America’s best colleges. Later, Mike would earn his Master of Accounting degree from Belmont, this time setting the standard for his own kids, who have master’s degrees in Speech Language Pathology and Marriage and Family Therapy. A first-team All-American and team captain, Mike earned a slew of awards on the field, including NCAA Division I midfielder of the year, the NCAA Heroes Award, and U.S. Club Lacrosse Association’s National Player of the Year. In 1996, Penn honored him in the inaugural class of their athletics Hall of Fame, placing him among the very best Ivy League athletes in any sport or era. Post-graduation, Mike played professionally and coached both at the Division I and pro levels. After his lacrosse career, Mike enjoyed stints at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo. While working for a bottling operation in Virginia for the soft drink giant, he met Debby McFee. They married in 1988 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Mike paired a deep curiosity with the determination and natural ability to learn new skills at any point in life. Before his diagnosis with ALS, Mike had begun learning to speak Mandarin and had methodically improved his golf game to a point that he had entered competitive tournaments. Mike defied categorization. To just read a list of his favorite things— be it sports (European professional soccer and Big 12 wrestling) or music (new wave post-punk rock and classic R&B) or hobbies (baking the perfect New York cheesecake, pizza and candle-making)—one would be hopeless to guess how old Mike was or where he had lived. More likely, someone would probably suspect you had just described four or five different people. A loving husband and devoted father, Mike coached his daughters Caitlin and Chloe in lacrosse at every stage, eventually helping Chloe begin her own coaching career at St. Cecilia Academy. He was a constant source of practical wisdom and a problem-solver, both for his kids and the State of Tennessee, who retained him as a consultant after his retirement to solve accounting quandaries no one else could. Even as his disease limited his physical abilities, Mike’s mind remained sharp, both in its perceptiveness and trademark wit. His loss of speech did not stop him from writing scathing letters to the editor or laugh-out-loud texts. He was predeceased by his parents, Russell A. Page and Ann McPartlin Page, and his brother Russell H. Page. He is survived by his wife, Debby; his two daughters, Caitlin and Chloe; his brothers Stephen and Robert; his sister-in-law, Kate; nephew, Samuel; and niece, Margaret. Visitation will be at 10AM on Saturday February 25th at St. Henry's Church, followed by Mass at 11AM. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to ALS Association Tennessee Chapter and Alive Hospice. https://www.alivehospice.org/get-involved/give/ Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, 6949 Charlotte Pike, Suite 100 (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned & operated.