Goodbye to our longtime WSB friend: miws

[Yard Saler]

I’m sorry to share the sad news that Mike Stahl aka: miws passed away this morning. I know many of you followed his story of living in Nicklesville and transitioning into housing. Mike lived in West Seattle for most of his life, from North Admiral, to Morgan Junction and then the south end of West Seattle for many years until he moved into an assisted living facility in New Holly last summer. He was very happy and comfortable in his new community and they took good care of him.

He loved being part of the West Seattle community–both online and off. The West Seattle Blog was literally a lifeline for him when he became homeless due to medical treatment and being unable to work or pay his rent. A group of community members formed “Team Mike” to get him signed up with the appropriate agencies, get him to medical appointments, and raise money to transition him into permanent housing. It was truly neighbors helping neighbors. And BTW, if anyone says it’s easy to get out of homelessness, they’re totally wrong. It takes time, energy, commitment and help. Mike would want you to know that.

Mike was a lifelong JP Patches and Volkswagen fan. A longtime member of the “Patches Pals” group! Despite many life challenges, Mike never turned bitter. Everyone I talked to at his living community said, “Mike is SO nice!” His kindness and wit will be missed.

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[anonyme]

So sad to hear this. Mike has been a fixture on the WSB for such a long time, and his optimism will be missed.

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[WSB]

I thought I had replied when I saw this at 3 am today before going off-watch but it apparently didn’t take. I wanted to say thank you to the person who posted it. I am trying to find out a bit more (beyond the medical call, which was easy enough to verify via dispatch audio) and I will be writing something for the main page. Looking at the stats, beyond his participation here in the Forum over the years, he commented more than 4,100 times on WSB stories; as Anonyme said, usually a welcome cheerful voice, often helpful and informative too, sometimes with an interesting bit of history. Before he moved across the bay, he would usually come visit our booth at the annual festivals where we table, to say hi and check in. Farewell and rest well, Mike. – TR

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[2 Much Whine]

This is a very sad day. Mike was a true gentleman. He always stuck up for the little guy and was always kind and thoughtful in his posts. He didn’t always agree but he never resorted to name-calling or belittling. I had the pleasure of meeting him many years ago and I always found his positive attitude to be infectious. The world has a little less of a spark today. Rest In Peace MIWS (Mike in West Seattle).

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[jissy]

Thank you for posting this, I always looked for his miws handle in posts. Mike was a stellar guy and I was honored to have followed his journey out of Nickelsville and help him when he set up his apt in White Center supplying everything he needed to set up his bathroom — it was an honor to have been able to meet him in person. He will surely be missed.

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[waynster]

Mike was truly a man among men super nice guy….R.I.P. Mike go rest high on that mountain for your work on earth is done…

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[me on 28th Ave SW]

The Nicklesville stories made a huge impact on me. I was very active on these forums between 2009-2013 and he and I often aligned on West Seattle issues. He always impressed me with his calm but clear articulation, often after I had to simply walk away from my screen if the topic got heated! It was a comfort to me to see miws comments on here all these years later when I’d flit back to see what was going on. I think I met him once at a gathering that I believe Jan S pulled together, but even though we didn’t know each other well, I considering him a kind friend. Cheers to a life well lived. -Monica

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