Nothing But Love: Dying Dad Gets Incredibly Touching Send-Off From His Community

First things first. Cancer sucks. Now, grab your tissues because this story about a community rallying around a dying dad will open the waterworks.

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In a video from August 2024, the family of Jessica Berrier announced that their dad, Mike White, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was dying. The family started packing in as much life as they could to give their dad the best final days possible. That began with Christmas gift-giving.

Unveiling the gift they had custom-made was amazing. The family contracted with a craftsman who used their parents’ old skis to create an Adirondack chair. He recognized the skis immediately.

Whether it was the quality of life that his family provided or the luck of the draw, Mike lived several more months. He passed away on July 14, 2025, at the age of 64. As her dad lay dying, Jessica held his hand. Mike was a long-time member of the community on Big Crooked Lake in Michigan. To show their love, residents organized a boat tribute and send-off. Dozens of boaters idled past the shore in front of the family home.

There wasn’t a dry eye in any of the boats or the house. As the last boat lingered, they blasted In The Air Tonight, by Phil Collins, on a loudspeaker. That was one of Mike’s favorite songs and perfect for the evening. The video is three minutes long, but absolutely worth the time. You can hear people shouting out to wish Mike and the family well as they go through this trial of love.

The family, at Mike’s request, will be holding a Celebration of Life rather than a funeral or wake. He wanted everyone to wear bright, flowery, Hawaiian shirts or simple red, white, and blue. He stipulated that people should be surrounded by love, with lots of food and laughter. Additional information about Mike’s Celebration of Life is available in his obituary.

Seeing how Mike wants to go out gives us an idea of the type of man he was. The entire community came together to provide a fantastic send-off for a stellar individual.

Fair winds and following seas. Hail the traveler!

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You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.