Michael Jay Leimer

Michael Jay Leimer, “Mikey”, age 46, passed away December 29th at AMC after a courageous battle with cancer. Mikey was born on March 29, 1978, to the late Jay and Barbara (Birling) Leimer. He graduated from Appleton West High School in 1996. Mikey went on to cosmetology school and worked in many salons before becoming the manager at Great Clips.

Mikey cherished spending time with his friends. Mikey loved an adventure! He spent many years living in Florida and Tennessee and traveled often to see the many friends he made there. Mikey was always up for anything fun, especially concerts, Madonna being his absolute favorite! 

Another of Mikey’s passions was cars. He loved sports cars, the fancier, the better. He owned many cars over the years, but his red Trans Am and the Mercedes were his favorites. Top down, wind in his hair and you had a happy guy. It’s really the simple things in life he appreciated.

Mikey was the kindest of souls that you could ever meet. If there was a stray animal, you can bet that he would try to rescue it. He loved his fur babies and spoiled them completely. If there was a friend in need, he would be there instantly with open ears and a shoulder to cry on. 

We aren’t sure if we could call Mikey a foodie, but he loved food. He was a great cook. One of his favorite things to do was to get together with friends where everyone brought a dish to pass. He often brought one of his beloved Mom’s recipes that he cooked to perfection and was proud to share with others.

Mikey and his Mom took turns buying crossword lottery tickets, and he was so lucky. It was a nice, relaxing way for them to spend evenings scratching their tickets together and seeing who won. 

Mikey is survived by his 3 sisters: Cynthia (Lawrence) Gaschler, Bonnie (Heath) Tomlin, Jaclyn Anthony, and 2 nephews, Joshua and Zachary Gaschler.

Mikey is further survived by his 2 cats, Meatball and Yeti, as well as numerous friends that loved him dearly. Waldo, you know how much your summer visit meant to him. There are truly too many others to mention…y’all know who you are...he loved each and every one of you!!!

There will be a celebration of life for Mikey at a future date. The family would like to say a special thank you to Cheryl for taking him to his appointments and for being his advocate and friend. 

We will miss your big smile and positive outlook on life! The world is a little dimmer without you in it, and it will never be the same. You’ve got your rainbow wings now - fly proudly!

Love you always!