Michael Thomas Hackett devoted husband, loving father, and friend to all died Friday February 3, 2012 at the age of 47 at his Severna Park, MD home after a valiant one-year battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

A native of Bellevue, WA, Mike was born on August 7, 1964. He forged an exuberant passion for adventure in the great outdoors while hiking on the shores of Puget Sound and skiing the slopes of the Cascades. This passion would last a lifetime. Later he spent summers in Alaska working aboard a fish processing boat in the Bering Sea. An avid runner, he competed in six marathons and biked solo from Seattle to San Francisco.

He graduated from Washington State University in Pullman with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1988. While working as a civil engineer for the city of Los Angeles at LAX Airport for seven years he lived aboard his sailboat, Kulia, in Redondo Beach, CA. There he met his wife Shonna, married and moved to the east coast. They lived in Allentown, PA briefly before making their home in Severna Park with children, Colin and Mackenzie. Mike was a civil engineer at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for the past 14 years.

Mike was a perpetual student, gleaning information from anyone and everyone who had something interesting to teach. His parents instilled in him the desire to live life to the fullest, which he carried into adulthood. He enthusiastically passed this zest for life onto his family and all who were blessed to know him. He was a captivating story teller of his adventures.

He thrived on spending time with family and friends doing the things he loved most: sailing, power boating, crabbing, fishing and playing around on the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay. He was an active leader in his Ben Oaks community, serving on the Pier Committee for many years and instituting an annual Labor Day Crab Derby that is a highlight of summer. He hosted legendary Halloween ALS fund-raisers, featuring Haunted Trails that were meticulously prepared for all year and beloved by kids of all ages.

Mike has been an avid supporter of the ALS Association and the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins since he lost his mother, Diane, to this dreadful disease in 2004. Mike spent years undergoing painful tests to assist in research and in death, has donated his body to find a cure for ALS. His passion and brave battle has inspired the creation of "The Hackett Clan" a global network of family and friends reaching from Seattle to Dubai, and anchored at home in Severna Park to raise awareness and funds for ALS research.

Mike is survived by his wife of 18 years, Shonna Marie Elicker Hackett, and children Colin Patrick Hackett 16, and Mackenzie Marie Hackett 13, of Severna Park; sisters Shannon Jakobe of Everett, WA and Colleen Hackett of Seattle, WA and his father Tom Hackett of Port Townsend, WA and countless friends.

Family and friends may visit on Friday February 10, 2012 from 5-7 PM at Barranco & Sons P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park, MD 21146. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday February 11, 2012 at 11 AM at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church, 1070 Cecil Ave South, Millersville, MD 21108.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the ALS Research of Dr. Michael Benatar at the University of Miami or to a trust fund for Colin and Mackenzie.
Please make checks payable to "ALS Research" and send contributions to: University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14th St., Suite 831, Miami, FL 33136 or to "THE HACKETT CHILDREN'S IRREVOCABLE TRUST" and mail to: Meredith Blake Martin, P.A., 901 Dulaney Valley Road, Suite 610, Towson, MD 21204.
Online condolences may be made at www.barrancofuneralhome.com