Michael Joseph Obergfell was born March 19th, 1971, in Sidney, MT. He was Paul "Sant" and Joann Obergfell's fourth and youngest child. Growing up he enjoyed life on the farm and all that came with it, including rodeo.

He graduated from Sidney High School in 1989. Then, he went to Northwest Community College in Powell, Wyoming where he was also a bareback rider. Later, he became Vice President of the Northwest College Rodeo Team. After graduating with a degree in Ag Business, he returned home to help on the family farm and work seasonal campaigns at Holly Sugar.

December of 1992 is when he met his wife, Diane (Free) Strand, whom also worked at Holly Sugar. As the legend goes, she kept hearing an intriguing voice over the radio and she knew she needed to meet whoever it was. They cherished three children together; Sara, Travis and Matt.

Mike was a hard worker. He worked at Holly Sugar/Crystal Sugars until he wanted a career change around 2007 when he was hired on with XTO. Being a farmer and rancher his whole life also meant spending his "off" time out at the farm doing his daily chores and whatever other seasonal task was at hand.

He loved to hunt. It didn't matter if hunting was just out at the farm or the yearly elk hunting trips with the guys. Oh, the stories! Hunting with his and everyone else's kids was also something he really enjoyed.

He was also a teacher. Whether it was his knowledge of hunting, farming, ranching, rodeo, 4-H, or life, he was happy to pass it along.

His favorite daily pit stop after a hard day's work was “The Rectangle” for a beer with his buddies. Those close to Mike knew he was usually a man of very few words, but he still loved to have fun. For someone who had never traveled, it was a tough sell to get him to Jamaica for his daughter Sara's wedding, but little did we know it would create a whole new meaning to his phrase- "You all are my friends!" - a quote made famous at his surprise 40th birthday party. Apparently all it took were a few Busch Lights and some AC/DC for him to quickly become the life of the party, and make friends everywhere he went. His favorite souvenir from this particular trip was his beloved Jamaican hat, which he continued to wear for many years to come.

Mike was also the Trading Post's #1 fan. He loved listening to the local classifieds - we never knew what kind of "deal" he'd snag. Another little known fun fact was Mike was a regular winner on the radio station's daily music trivia game. He was constantly hounding Diane to make a trip to Williston to collect his prizes.

Being diagnosed with cancer this last fall gave Mike a whole new outlook on life. Unfortunately, for reasons we will never know, God had a different plan for him. He was a fighter. Even in his last days he wasn't ready to give up. Although he was very sick for his last few months here with us, it's the quality time spent with him that his family will forever cherish and hold on to. We will also be eternally grateful to all of the staff at Sidney's Cancer Center and Sidney Health Center for their exceptional care and compassion.

Michael “Mike” passed away on Friday, March 24, 2023, at the Sidney Health Center, Sidney, MT surrounded by his family.

Mike is survived by his wife, Diane Obergfell, their kids Sara Huft (Scotty), Travis Obergfell (Taylor), and Matt Obergfell, four Granddaughters Jayla, Brylie, Paityn, and Harlow Huft, his mother, Joann Obergfell, siblings Doug (Lori) Obergfell, Jolene (Tim) Lorenz, Richard (Lori) Obergfell, and a shit ton of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father, Paul "Sant" Obergfell, his nephew Matthew Lorenz, his great niece Macee Lorenz, and numerous other extended family members.

Memorial Contribution