We were so sorry to hear of Mike's tragic accident and our sincerest condolences go out to you all.

I used to run the Oak Bay Marine office when Mikey first started "hanging" around the Marina and M.V. Lakewood. He was just a young lad at the time and still in school. He was so enthralled with anything and everything to do with the boats, fishing and was indeed a delight to have around. I watched him progress from a "dockie" to a full fledged Skipper of the Lakewood….which was one of his many dreams and goals.

He and I became great Buddies and affectionately referred to each other as "Mum" and "Son". I have two grown sons of my own and Mikey was my "third"…He was always such a positive person with a terrific lust for life. I will remember his delightful sense of humour and kindness for everyone forever. Although he had a few nasty accidents in his short life, he was still able to keep his sense of humour and his beautiful smile. I feel very proud and privileged to have known Mike and must say you did a wonderful job of raising him…and am sure you are very proud of his accomplishments.

It is such a tragic"ending"for such a terrific person and a great loss to all who knew him. I know he will be missed and remembered by everyone who ever met him.

God Bless Mike and may he Rest in Peace. My heart goes out to all of you and hope that you're able to feel some comfort in knowing how much everyone loved Mike so much. He will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered.

Sincere Sympathy,
Jean & Harry Buckle

I feel that there is irony in this as it was sent to me the day Michael lost his life here on earth. I lit a candle yesterday for Michael in hopes that the light would guide him on his journey to peaceful plains. I hope we all can find peace in knowing that he is smiling down upon all who knew him.
Love and god bless Lara Brown

I hope this will bring a little peace to who are grieving at this time….
Please send this to the many people who loved Michael, it gave me the peace and understanding that I desperately needed…..

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or lifetime …..When you figure out which it is, you'll know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance, support, or aid you physically, emotionally and spiritually. They may seem like a god send, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they do something to force you to take a stand for yourself. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON< it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you must learn. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is Real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (any way) and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant…
Anonymous

Michael has touched all our lives in many different ways, we all have our own special memories of what Michael was to each of us./ Hold on to them and never let go, he'll live on forever in our hearts and souls. I believe people truly only die when we stop remembering them, and how they touch our lives.
Thank you for being a part of my life Michael; you will never be forgotten.
With Sympathy and Love
Lara Brown

Michael Battle was a very special person. Part of the reason he was so special was he was part of a very special close-knit family. I would like you to indulge me for a moment and with a show of hands, could you raise your hand if Michael or a member of the Battle family ever hugged you. You know what I mean when I tell you that the Battles hug you with more than just their arms, they hug you with their heart and soul. When Michael hugged you, it didn't matter if he just saw you a couple of weeks ago, he hugged you and while hugging you asked how you were doing and you knew he was really honestly glad to see you. In addition, when you left and he hugged you goodbye it was as if he never wanted to let you go and we sure did not want to let him go.

I've known the Battles for about 24 years. When I first met them Deanna was 3, Michael was 4 and John was about 8. The whole family spent most of their time at Hollywood Park. Deanna & Michael would play while John played baseball. Martin coached baseball for years and Stella was a scorekeeper. Deanna and Michael always played so well together and the two of them really looked up to John because he was old enough to play baseball. Martin and Stella have a picture of Michael and Deanna hugging with their two faces pressed together and I can picture the two of them doing that like it was yesterday.

Michael grew up to be such a kind, good-hearted young man who to me was the epitome of good health. All through the teenaged years when other kids were trying to avoid their parents, he never seemed to do that and he was never shy with his feelings. It didn't matter who was in the house when he went out, he hugged his parents, said I LOVE YOU. He had an honesty with his emotions and feelings I had never seen before.

Michael had a unique combination of qualities. He had the sweetness, pureness of heart, love and enjoyment of nature of a young child combined with the matureness of a kind, hard working, responsible, caring adult. He was a good friend and everyone like being with him because he was easy going, happy, and it felt good to be around him. I think Martin and Stella helped him to be a good friend to others by showing him how they were good friends to others. When I hurt my knee years ago my husband just had helped me onto the couch propped up my leg with pillows and Martin and Stella came thru the door to see how I was doing. When my appendix burst three weeks after we moved to Vancouver, the day I got out of the hospital there were flowers from the whole Battle family at the front door. Theyknew how to be supportive to their friends and they knew how to be supportive for each other.

When John injured his spine in a car accident he was in the Spinal Unit in Vancouver. Martin and Stella stayed with us for a month, and then they came every weekend for months. Michael and Deanna came to visit every single chance they could & together they encouraged his recovery. When Michael was injured on the rigs two years ago and his jaw, cheekbones, and face were all broken Deanna was there when he was released from the hospital. She drove right to Kentucky Fried Chicken and said Michael would you like a piece to the guy with his jaw wired shut. She wasn't just trying to torture him she cut all the meat off and blended it with a bit of milk to make a chicken shake. She tried all kinds of different drinks and shakes to help him gain back some weight. Deanna was there for Michael - he called her his Pieman. They were always there for each other.

Because the family was close they have many memories of summer vacations, Christmas together in Hawaii, birthdays, and anniversaries they celebrated together. Michael had a fabulous 2 weeks in Hawaii in January with Kristen - his Christmas present to her.

At least Martin, Stella, John, Deanna, and Kristen know that Michael really loved them. There was nothing left unspoken, no unfinished business. We may not be able to hug him with our arms anymore but each one of us will hold many special memories of him close in our hearts. They say that someone who was loved is never lost, and Michael was loved so very, very much.

Lots of love & hugs,

Linda Cain

Michael, we have shared so many memories, the thoughts of those memories will be "forever in my heart" You are a true inspiration to us all, you will never be forgotten. Thank you for everything you have given. I look forward to riding with you again. No words could ever describe the feelings that I have, you will always be smiling in my heart. Mike "I love You", you are a true friend and will never be replaced. My heart goes out to the Battle family, you were extremely fortunate to have a son and brother like Michael.
With greatest sympathy

Richard Ogden

I kissed your cheek
your eyes see me through a haze
of calm and still
to taste one grain of salt from your tear
pain seizes this heart

My face
longing for the breath
of your silent sleeping whisper
empty inside
I cry death of me

Take me
pain has no home in a
crumbled soul
stolen was my breath
I cry life out through my tears

Shake this dream from its nightmare state
wake the shadows
this valley of death
welcomed by none
Life becomes metallic…Ah

Sweet words were last
spoken
from flesh to ashes
return to nature
set free your soul

In life you shared the ocean
sleep now, my Brother
you are home with the waves
the sea otter
protects you now.

Deanna Battle 2002

It was very sad to hear of the recent passing of your son and brother.
Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike at the Oak Bay Marina through my work in children's programs at the Commonwealth Place. For all our kids "Captain Mike" became a very special part of their "experience". He was a caring and understanding teacher (for many who had never been fishing before) as well, he was an energetic and creative role model! From his "potato awards" for the biggest fish caught…to the mighty catch called a "rubber duckie"… our days on the boat were always full of laughs and fun memories were made. Mike helped create a positive, safe and fun "adventure" that will always be remembered. J

On behalf of my co-worker John and our kids we wish to
send you Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to you all.

Sincerely Jayne Cromie

(Original hand written)

Nothing in this world can compare with the pain and despair over the loss of a child. Everyday my thoughts and prayers are with you all.
I believe we are lent our children by God and we are given the responsibility to raise them to be Gods children. You have fulfilled Gods wishes by raising three loving, kind children. Mike was given us for a very short time. In that time he influenced every person he met with love and joy.
Mike was always a special angel. Try to believe he is still with you loving you all.

Sincerely Sallie Ellis

(Original hand written)

Words cannot express your loss and as parents we can only imagine.

I would like to think and believe that the Buddhists, who are recognized as among the worlds most knowledgeable and ancient philosophers…cannot be wrong.

I would like to share their conviction and faith that our presence on this earth occurs in many stages and on various planes, as similar yet different souls.
They believe that when a child is taken from us, he or she has only fulfilled an interval from a previous life and are now free to reach further levels of learning and enlightenment.

I would like to believe that Michael shared his stage with us and we are fortunate to have been part of that time.

We should be happy that he chose all of us..it is hard, I know…but hopefully, in time, we will all come to believe that destiny is not to be feared, that Michael is happy and safe and was here to help show us the way.

Shaun & Susan Lees

So much depends on the movement of Time
a day is a second
a minute a thousand years
all based on Breath

A mother tastes moments
sweet honeysuckle and fresh berries
savors each second
flies with time through timeless skies

A sister chokes on empty air
chalk, dust, dirt, stuck in dry mouth
wants to rewind the minutes, make a new day
freezes with time in timeless corridors

So much depends on the breath of Time
one Breath
and the flames of a raging life
went out

One Breath
and that night, that hallway, those faces those tears
frozen, endless
like a never-ending tunnel with no light at the end
and Time was forgotten
there was no past and no future
only the confusion of grief

So much depends on the movement of time
endless those first few days
when flowers and sky and music were dull
when rain was only good for hiding tears
when minutes blended to days
and we forgot how to laugh

we talked about time in years
twenty eight being so young
we forgot about the past

But we could not hold off the future
for Time does not stand still
it is perceived motion, relative to experience
and twenty eight years was lived like fifty six with laughter
and we learned that life is not measured by its length
but by its depth

We began to smile and remember
the energy, the hugs, the handshakes
the laughter, the tears, the adventures
and we looked at Time with a new perspective
believed that there may actually be lessons to learn from sadness

the air felt crisper, the trees seemed greener
the days more vibrant

So much depends on the movement of Time
a day gone in a second
a minute lasting a thousand years
all based on breath

one Breath
is suddenly one year
and we stop and wonder
how one year could feel like eternity
yet arrive so quickly
one whole year

we wonder why the day feels colder
why the flowers aren't so pretty and the sky seems gray
why it feels like only a week has passed

But we must not forget the lessons that are found
in the midst of anger and grief
we must not forget the goodness that was brought into our lives
the flashy smile, the goofy grin
the hugs that lasted forever

We must never forget
but we must also remember
that the flowers are beautiful
and that music is passion
and that we all have the power to make each moment
last a lifetime

we can dance and laugh and wonder and dream
we can crush each minute to our hearts
and feel every second of energy
and fill our souls with love

We can shout to the stars, "thank you, thank you
for these precious moments"
and we can smile with the secret knowledge that someone
may be looking down upon us, nodding with approval
secure in the knowledge that we have learned our lessons
and that we will do everything in our power
to use those lessons, regardless of how painful they may be

so much depends on the breath of Time
one Breath
is our lifetime

By Misti Hurst