Michael Brian Cipres

Born in Oxnard California on March 28, 1984.

Mike was born to Sal and Teresa Cipres...this is the story of his life as witnessed by his "Mommacita" & his  "Pop's". We will progressively add to Mike's life story as we have time to recount his wonderful life we were so fortunate to share. As we find pictures relevant to the stories, we will post them as well.

The Big Event:

Mike came into this world while Sal was serving in the US Navy. Teresa and Sal had Steven (Mike's older brother) two years before and we planned to grow our family while in the military. We had some very close friends (Don and Mary Clausen) who we had met while in school over in Millington TN. They have a boy named Dale who was one year younger than Steven. They ended up in the same squadron (VAQ-34) in Pt. Mugu California and we became best of friends.

Teresa and Mary became pregnant around the same time and we were both looking forward to growing our respective families. Mary had Sandra a couple of months before Teresa had Michael and they used to go to their doctors appointments together since they shared the same doctor (Dr. Cohen) who practiced in Oxnard near Port Hueneme. We were so happy when Michael came into our lives that early morning. We'll never forget seeing his big eyes and light hair. It was a proud moment for us to have the gift of another healthy baby boy in our lives.

Living on Base in Pt. Mugu:

Mike was a great baby.  He was all smiles whenever he seen our faces or heard our voices. Steven was just beside himself to have a baby brother to love and teach the ways of the world. Mike did have a fair amount of ear infections when he was very young which caused him to not properly hear word pronunciations and he developed his vocabulary.  It made for a cute voice but sometimes very hard to understand... for example: he would as for a cookie as a "tootie"...this was very cute and we gave him many "tooties" just to hear him say it. He also call trash cans "crash cans". Eventually Steven became Mike's interpreter since he always talked to Mike and knew what he was saying... We spent much time with Don, Mary, Dale, and Sandra during this time in our lives.

We decided to leave the military in April of 1985 and pursue a civilian life. One big reason is we didn't want our kids to deal with moving every few years.  We felt we could provide a more stable life for the kids regarding schools, friends, and family outside the military life.

On to civilian life:

Teresa and I relocated to Lancaster California as I took a job with Tracor Flight Systems working in Mojave. We lived in a rental home for a year, then purchased our first home to raise our family. Mike shared a bedroom with Steven during his early years. We had a three bedroom home and Christine was born in 1986 so the boys had to share once she arrived. In fact, Mike was still sleeping in a crib when Christine was born and we quickly transitioned the "big boy" to a twin bunk bed with Steven.

Mike was so funny when he was an infant because he would cry for a milk bottle to put him to sleep and we would try to give him a water bottle and he would be quiet for a few seconds or minutes until he realized it wasn't milk, then we would hear the bottle hit the wall as he through it across the room, followed by more crying. He had incredible motorskills as a toddler...this was a sign of what was to come.

Big brother shows him the ropes:

Steven was a very active young boy. Him and Michael were inseparable at this young age. Steven also had very good motorskills but he was also 2 years older than Michael. This age difference didn't stop Michael from trying everything his older brother was doing. Of course, two years is two years and there were many "ouchies" along the way. But this didn't discourage Michael the least bit. He was always willing to try something new, and Steven was always willing to watch him try. Michael could ride a skateboard, ride a two wheeled bicycle, and throw a frisbee (perfectly straight) at 3 years old.

The age difference between Steven and Michael presented a big problem to Teresa and I when it came time to buy gifts for the kids. Michael did not expect to get anything less than what we got for Steven even though was two years younger...

Along comes the Sonic 6: One christmas we decided to get the boys some new bicycles. Of course this was a big problem because we didn't think Michael should have the same sized bike as Steven. But rather than hear the crying we decided to get them both twin bikes. They each received a Sonic 6 racer. These bikes had a shifter with six gears. The boys cherished these machines and rode the tires off them around the street we lived. This was probably the start of stunting for Michael...mostly crash stunting while trying jump ramps and such. Steven or Christine...who should I play with? Michael was fascinated when Christine was born in 1986. Although he was only two, he would call her baby and try to squeeze her hands and arms to show her he loved her. We had to temper his enthusiasm most of the time to keep our new baby girl in one piece. Once Christine began to walk and talk Michael would play with her and of course he would try to get her to do the "boy stuff" that him and Steven did most of the time. This didn't work so well since Christine was all girl and wanted to play with dolls and tea sets and the like. So Michael had his first dillema...do I play with my sister on her terms, or do I play by myself? He chose to play what Christine wanted to play (so long as Steven wasn't around).

Michael, about this time also known as "My-Muc" because he really couldn't pronounce his name yet, would play with his sister for hours on end and as soon as Steven came home he would drop her like a bad habit to engage in more meaningful boy stuff. Christine was heartbroken many times because her brothers would run off together to play and she was left with mom and dad...mostly mom.

Let the squeezing and touching begin:

Michael was a very passionate boy from very young. We would go to Disneyland and Seaworld and he would reach out and touch (or hit) people as his stroller passed them. He would also run down the line guides for a ride and tap everyones hand as he passed. When he got excited (which was often) he would clinch his little fists and grit his teeth while growling out loud. This was a sign he was excited and needed to bleed off some energy. We were always saying "sorry" to people at amusement parks because of his propensity to reach out and touch them first hand.

Mike the Mechanic is born:

Michael graduated from Motorcycle Mechanics Institue (MMI) in Phoenix in February of 2006.  He graduated with honors and was so proud that day as we watched him accept his diploma's.  Mike new he wanted to go to MMI before he enlisted in the US Marines.  His original plan was to join the Marines and save money so he could go to MMI after he served his country.  As fate would have it, Mike was not able to complete bootcamp in San Diego due to a medical condition with his knees.  We were glad to help him accelerate his dream of going to MMI once he came home from San Diego.  Mike absolutely loved MMI just as he suspected.  Teresa and I were very impressed with the campus and helped him to get an apartment (shared with Paul Lacaze and Brandon).  Eventually Charlie Lacaze joined Mike and Paul in Phoenix after starting MMI in Orlando.  As you can imagine there were a few incidents with young men living together...that is another story.  Teresa and I supported Mike the best we could and looked forward to the day he would graduate and start his future.  Tara (then Bernal) and Chrissy (his sister) also relocated to Phoenix while Mike was in school and soon they were all together making many memories as Mike continued his studies at MMI.

Graduation day was a proud moment for all of us and Mike relocated to California following graduation.

Mike and Tara's wedding day:

Although Mike & Tara had been together for many years as boy friend and girlfriend, this was the day they would officially proclaim their unending love for each other in front of their family and friends.  The Cipres and Robles families made the trip to Austin to share in the joy with the Bernal family.  We were so pleased with such a beautiful and organized event but the real joy came when Mike and Tara looked into each others eyes and said their vows to each other.  It was a heart wrenching moment for all of us and we all shed a tear to see the love they so clearly displayed for each other.  We will remember that day for the rest of our lives and our son was the happiest man on the planet to have Tara as his wife, friend, and partner in life.  Look into his eyes in the picture to see what I mean.