Michael Iroku Strain

Beloved son, brother, and friend, Michael Iroku Strain, passed away on March 30, 2021. He was 30 years old. Michael was an unforgettable soul – someone who loved, connected, and experienced the world very deeply. His memory will be cherished forever.

Michael was born on June 29, 1990 in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a child, he enjoyed wearing his trademark blue rubber boots, cape, and hat; riding in a red toy jeep with his brother; and eating copious amounts of Teriyaki Steak and Japanese candies from his Aunty Kimi. His favorite toy was an electronic globe that he used to learn facts about virtually every country on earth; this childhood fascination with geography served him well in his future job designing maps.

Michael’s family moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1997. There he developed deep friendships and a fondness for cool weather, overcast skies, and gentle rain while playing outside with friends and neighbors. Michael also gained a love of music during this time, which he carried with him for the rest of his life. He moved to Granbury, Texas as a sophomore in high school and graduated from STARS Academy in 2008. In high school, he worked as a Pharmacy Technician at Granbury Drug with his uncle and aunt, Todd and Gamze Strain. This was a transformative experience which helped him to break out of his shell and come into his own.

Michael was endlessly curious. He spent countless hours poring over Wikipedia articles about bands, movies, and historical events. Reflecting his fascination with geography and music, he could instantly recall the year that any major album was released and the population of every major U.S. city.

His intellectual curiosity found a home in the Geography department at the University of North Texas, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2014. There Michael learned how to map in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and enjoyed talking politics with his professors and friends over beers at local Denton breweries. He studied abroad for a semester in Cork, Ireland and backpacked across Europe with his cousin Terra. Michael’s family remembers his time at UNT as one of the happiest periods of his life.

After graduating from college, Michael moved to Dallas and started a job as a GIS analyst at Texas 811, where he designed custom-built maps and interfaces. In his free time, Michael liked to head-bang at heavy metal shows, shred on his Ibanez guitar, and visit his parents in Granbury and his sister and brother in Nashville and Berkeley.

Michael was kind, empathetic, thoughtful, quirky. He was an unrivaled conversationalist who could strike up a connection with anyone from any walk of life. When you spoke with Michael, you knew he was really listening – especially when he popped one of his signature witty jokes in response to something you just said. He always believed in others, even as he struggled to believe in himself.

Michael is survived by his loving parents Becky and Bit Strain, his siblings Garrett and Deana, his brother-in-law Travis, his grandmother Charlotte Garrett, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. His passing is an unfathomable loss. We wish him eternal peace.

A visitation and funeral service will be held for Michael at Wiley Funeral Home. The visitation will be Friday, April 2nd from 6-8pm and the funeral service will be Saturday, April 3rd at 11am. Burial will follow at Granbury Cemetery under the direction of Wiley Funeral Home, Granbury.