About Michael Hebert

Michael stood out.  Sometimes it was his blond hair and blue eyes.  Sometimes it was his smile and laughter.  Sometimes it was cause he was a head taller than most kids in his class.  Sometimes it was from being a bit too competitive, or from making his own path, come what may.  Sometimes it was hilarious, others it was terrifying.  Once, around 2 yrs old, Michael needed to run, so he took off.  Normally he wouldn't get far, but an unusually empty airport  an opportunity.  He laughed gleefully, as he ran underneath the security cordons, while his parents ran up and down the serpentine paths of the security lines to catch him.  Hilarious.  Once, around 4 yrs old Michael was being carried up a narrow, crowded path up Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park.  But Michael didn't want to be carried, so, at the top, his feet hit the ground like a wind up car and he sprinted to the railing.  Grabbing the bottom rail with his hands, his feet swung out over the 1,000 ft drop. One of us loved that.  

Michael stood out in other ways.  He ran to the door to give his dad a hug every day after work.   In an extended family of mostly introverts, Michael was not.  When he was 9, Michael wandered off during a 4th of July Parade on while on vacation.  He showed up later wearing a Dr Suess hat, dozens of Mardi Gras necklaces and leading a dog.  We'll never know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt he brightened the day for many people he hadn't known before. 

Michael wanted to be friends with everybody. He went out of his way to include kids who were new to school, or just looked like they needed a friend. In seventh grade, Michael was thriving in every way, and it was a joy to behold. He played soccer and basketball, excelled at cross country, was a leader in his Boy Scout patrol, well on his way to Eagle. Most importantly, he was happy, self confident and had a large, diverse group of friends. Michael mentioned a pain in his right calf shortly after a cross country meet.  Probably a pulled muscle, but it didn't slow him down on a backpacking trip a couple weeks later. A couple weeks later, Michael left school with a headache on Thursday and skipped another backpacking trip that weekend.  Saturday, a severe headache caused pain and naseau. Monday he was in the hospital.  Michael was diagnosed with metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in April, 2019. Michael handled the diagnosis and 22 months of treatment with grace, outstanding perseverance, "chill" and humor that made him a favorite at the hospital. Chemo limited how much contact Michael had with friends and family, and later the pandemic almost eliminated in person visits.  Micheal did not have a bucket list.  There were no places he wanted to go, adventures he wanted to experience.  He just wanted to be with friends.  Despite being out of school, and in the midst of a pandemic, Michael managed to grow new friendships and consistently displayed a concern for others over self.    Michael died Feb 28, 2021 and will be sorely missed by everyone lucky enough to know him.