Mike Redmond, while never a trained dancer himself, was the ultimate girl dad. Mike devoted countless hours to attending parent/child activities, including dance; he shuttled his three daughters back and forth to practices and dance competitions; he handled dance props; and he was the biggest fan and cheerleader his daughters could have hoped for.

In addition to being a devoted and supportive dad, Mike was a staunch believer, supporter, and doer of what is right. Mike was a firm supporter of the Black Lives Matter Movement, even once going viral for his participation with his family in a March for Black Lives in St. Louis soon after the tragic deaths of Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. He was a vocal and visible supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. And he constantly voiced the need for respect and equality for all. Mike firmly believed in mental health care and spent multiple hours a week devoting himself to organizations and hands-on approaches to promote mental wellness and sobriety.

Moreover, Michael valued education. Mike returned to higher education later in life, having not completed his college degree with only a year left. Despite his successes with career and life, he was determined to get his college degree before his oldest daughter went to high school. Mike worked tirelessly to attend classes while managing a company full-time and still devoting time to his wife and kids and to his community and support organizations and did so while maintaining an A average. The night before Mike was unexpectedly and tragically taken from this world, he had completed his last final exam. Mike did not know when he passed away that he had fulfilled his goal of graduating. In May 2023, Mike’s wife and daughters took to the commencement stage of Spring Hill College — the same college where Michael had began his higher education in the mid-1990s — to accept his Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management on his behalf.