Michael Douglas Meeking was born on June 16th, 1961 in Toronto Ontario to Robert and Barbara Meeking. He was the youngest of 6 children, having 4 sisters: Penny, Robin, Karen and Sandy, and 1 brother: Ron. They found their home in Markham Ontario. When Mike was barely 18 months old his father passed away at the young age of 39, leaving him to be raised by his older sisters while his mom worked as a nurse to provide for the family. At age 4 his family moved away from Markham and settled just outside Toronto in Scarborough Ontario. Mike was always a strong willed and independent individual. When he was 5 years old, having had enough of the whole formal education thing, he left his kindergarten class, unbeknownst to his teacher, walked a few blocks away, and then hitched a ride back to his house. This did not end in so much trouble for himself but instead for his sisters who were by now hitch-hiking across the country and realized that he had already begun to follow in their footsteps. His elementary school years saw him playing lots of hockey and creating a passion for drama. In grade 8 he qualified for the Ontario provincials in standing broad jump. He never competed however, as he went for a hotdog and missed his event, only to find out later that his average jump was almost a foot longer than that day’s winning jump, and that year’s national championship jump. During his high school years Mike was very social and had a large group of friends. One of those friends was a young lady by the name of Jody Rutz. He never talked with her however, because, as he said, every time he would open his mouth to do so, he would “always see the floor approaching rather fast”. He spent much of his time playing guitar and harmonica and continued to follow his passion for drama. During the summer between grade 11 and 12 he hitch-hiked his way out to Banff Alberta to visit his sister. As September came closer and closer he began to think he may just not go back to finish school. His sister got wise however and, 3 days before school was scheduled to start, she dropped him off just outside of town so he could hitch a ride back. All hope was not lost for him though, as it was near impossible for him to make it back in just 3 days. Once again his plan was foiled however, as he caught one ride right to his front door, getting him back in town, as he would always say “with enough time to buy school supplies”. Despite making it back for grade 12 Mike remains, to this day, ½ a credit short of his high school diploma. A feat he credits to his grade 9 music class where, due to a strike, the teacher said he would pass everyone if they blew 1 note on the saxophone. But, determined to fail at least one class that year, Mike refused to blow the note, failing himself and losing him 3 credits which would have surely made him eligible for his diploma. After high school he set off with $400 to his name and aspirations of spending some time in Brazil. $400 did not last long however and he was broke by the time he got to Guatemala. He spent the next few months living and working in Guatemala and Belize until he got quite sick. He made his way back home by hitching rides, living off of peoples good graces and occasionally getting a hot meal and a bed for a few nights by being arrested for “occupying space”. Once home, Mike again ventured across Canada to Alberta where he spent time working construction in Banff and as a surveyor in Canmore. After returning to Ontario yet again, Michael joined a Toronto based drama troupe called Dr. Bandoli’s Goodtime Show which would go into schools putting on variety shows for the children. Mike continued with this troupe from 1980-1984. Throughout this period, when the drama troupe was slow he would make extra cash by playing flute on the streets of down town Toronto. It was early on during these times that he would run into Jody on the streets and subways randomly and it was only then that he began to talk with her. Later on Mike landed a weekend job, clowning at the ‘Organ Grinder’ Restaurant. In July of 1983 while calling on a friend at his back door he saw through the window Jody at the front door who was also calling on that house after recently having returned from 2 years of travelling on and off. Finding their friend not at home, Mike let himself in and made some tea for the both of them, thus began their dating. Jody ended up joining Mike in the Dr. Bandoli troupe and together they bought an old postal van which they named “Supertruck”. In spring of 1984 they both landed jobs at Sir Sam’s Inn on Eagle Lake in Haliburton Ontario, Mike as a bartender and Jody as a waitress. It was here on July 1st 1984 that Mike performed his first solo show as Meeks The Clown. In September of 1984 Mike and Jody travelled in Supertruck to Blue Lake California where Mike was enrolled in clown school. Being madly in love, and having such great optimism, neither of them realized just how difficult it would be for Jody to find work in Blue Lake. So they agreed that Jody would head back to Ontario and get a Job while she waited for Mike to finish his 8 month course. On her way back she stopped over in Vancouver at Michael’s sister, Robin’s house. It was here that she got a phone call from Mike saying that the money he had in the bank to pay for the course had been frozen due to a transaction he had made through a teller back in Ontario who was now being convicted of fraud. He considered that as a sign that he should not attend the school and he asked Jody if she would wait for him in Vancouver. She agreed, and in a matter of days they were together in Vancouver, and since then they have never looked back. In the fall of 1984 both Mike and Jody attended a Billy Graham Crusade where they both gave their lives’ to the Lord. They began attending Fraserview Assembly. Mike lived in Vancouver and continued to date Jody while working odd jobs and helping lead the church youth group. He spent the summer of 1985 working for the Vancouver Parks Board, putting on shows at all the parks and community centers with a bicycle as his only form of transportation. In December 1986 Mike met his long time friend, Bill Hoover, later to be called “Uncle Bill” by Mike’s children. On January 17th 1987 Mike and Jody were married in Vancouver. Together they ran a courier route with Supertruck and worked part time at a juvenile halfway house. Mike continued to do solo shows as well as running after school juggling workshops at rec. centers. On April 27th 1988 Mike became a proud new father when Jody gave birth to their first child Kyle Douglas. In March 1989 he moved his family to the home in Kits which they still inhabit 19 years later. He began attending Point Grey Community Church where he became the leader of their kids club. He worked as a school bus driver for Lynch Bus Lines driving their handicapped bus and continued pursuing the clown business part time. On April 3rd 1990 he increased his family with the birth of his second son Alexander James. In 1991 he joined forces with CAPPS Bicycles doing a series of bicycle safety TV commercials, and began to do Meeks shows along the BC festival circuit. March 19th 1992 saw Mike add to his family once more with the birth of his 3rd son Brady Norman. During the years 1992-1994 Mike found work as the BC Lions mascot ‘Roary the Lion’. It was during this time also that he took up landscaping, something he truly enjoyed. On June 26th 1995 he completed his family with the birth of his 4th child and 1st daughter Kayla May. At this time Michael and his family had just begun attending All Nations Christian Fellowship where he would soon work part time as the Kid’s Town director. In 1997 Mike left landscaping for a position as the part time Drama teacher at West Coast Christian School where his children attended. By 2007 he had both written and directed upwards of 20 original plays performed by his students. Michael had two dreams as a adult, the first being to have his children involved in his clown business. By 1997 the Meeks Family Circus was in full swing, entertaining in public and private events across BC. In 2001 on his 40th birthday his second adulthood dream became a reality, Mike bought himself a camperized school bus enabling the family circus to expand its tour to include stops in BC, Alberta and Ontario through 2006. In February of 2007 Mike was diagnosed with stage 4, metastic lung cancer. Over the following 16 months, Michael underwent 4 different types of chemotherapy treatments and 2 rounds of radiation to his lung and brain. He remained strong spirited and strong bodied throughout his battle as displayed by his determination to walk to and from the cancer clinic for each appointment. He was accompanied and supported every step of the way by his best friend of 25 years, wife of 21. He never gave up hope or belief that the Lord Jesus could heal him at any moment but also accepted the fact that his life was not his own but in the Lords hands. On June 11th 2008, soon after Mike had learned that the cancer had spread to multiple areas of his body including his bones, he was admitted to a Penthouse Suite at Vancouver General Hospital. During his 6 days there his kidney and liver function decreased rapidly. On June 16th 2008 celebrating his 47th birthday with his family, his future daughter-in-law, and his good friend Pastor Bob by his side, Michael went peacefully to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful life!
Thank you all for sharing in this life.................
1 comment:
I feel so blessed to have been Mike's co-worker. What an incredible testimony!!
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