Michael Nordgren
Michael Nordgren, 59, of Franklin Furnace OH, passed away Friday, October 15, 2021. He was born in central Connecticut and moved to Appalachia as a young adult, where he met the love of his life and started a family whom he loved fiercely and dearly. He created many wonderful memories with his loved ones – from catching crabs on the beach in North Carolina at night with one of his children on his shoulders, to exploring old colonial cemeteries in Connecticut with fall leaves crunching underfoot. As a father, he always encouraged his children to learn more and question the world, to seek truth, and find joy in little moments – whether it be surprise vacations to a local hotel for a night, throwing paper airplanes at the family’s tinsel covered Christmas tree, or walking the woods in the early morning watching the birds. He always sought to learn more and understand the world, and share that understanding and knowledge with everyone around him. He also loved to joke around and make people laugh or roll their eyes, especially during dinners that he loved making, saying it brought him a lot of joy to cook for his family and watch them enjoy the food he made for them. He was a cabinet maker by trade and always loved to create beautiful things with his own two hands. Michael Nordgren was a devout man with a good heart, who loved the Lord above all else, and his family very deeply. He is survived by his wife, Tammy Nordgren (née Skaggs), children: Seth Nordgren (Laura), Erin Blankenship (Michael), Aaron Gilley, and Sara Nordgren, siblings: Thomas Nordgren, Barbara Legate, and Claire Miller. He has two grandchildren, Lucas and Emerick, and a granddaughter due to be born in December. He waits for them all in Heaven, where he’s reunited with the loved ones who preceded him: siblings: Maureen Varrato, Lawrence Nordgren, and his parents: Alfred and Maureen Nordgren (née Patterson), the woman who taught him to read a page from the Bible every single day and helped shape him into the Christian man he was.
Visitation will be Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at Harrison-Pyles Funeral Home in Wheelersburg, OH from 12-1pm. Afterward will be a private service. His final resting place will be on a sunny treelined hillside at Jr Furnace Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Michael’s memory by learning something new, sharing it with someone, and reminding your loved ones you care about them. Condolences to the family may be made at www.harrison-pyles.com.
