Stockton, CA
Sept. 19, 1918 - January 9, 2008
Our beloved father Norman ("Mike") Mykles passed into eternal life on January 9, 2008 and is now with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Dad was born Aage Norman Myklebust on September 19, 1918 in Trondheim, Norway. He was the third of four children born to Olga and Hjalmar Myklebust. His father immigrated to the US in 1925, and his family followed a year later. They were processed through Ellis Island in May 1926, and went by train to Oakland. The family became naturalized citizens in 1933. He graduated from Oakland High School in June 1937, and then attended Merritt Business College for one year. He relocated to Los Angeles in June 1938, to stay with his older brother Harold and his wife.
Dad entered the insurance business in September 1938. His career was interrupted in 1942, when he enlisted in the US Army. After graduation from Officer's Candidate School at Camp Barkley in Abilene, TX in April 1943, his unit departed for England, for training preparatory to invasion of the continent, on June 6, 1944. Three months later they landed at Omaha Beach in France, later moving north to Belgium and then into Germany. He was in Givet, France, during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. When the European war ended on May 8, 1945, his unit went immediately to Marseilles, France, and then went by ship directly to the Pacific Theatre of Operations, via the Panama Canal. They arrived in Manila and joined with the 25th Infantry Division in preparation for the invasion of Japan. When the war with Japan ended in August 1945, he remained at the Okazaki Naval Air Training Station to prepare camp for returning servicemen to the US. He returned home, arriving in San Francisco in January 1946, and was separated from active service and officially into the US Reserves as a Captain M.A.C. in April 1946. He received an Honorable Discharge on June 7, 1948.
Dad returned home to Southern California. Prior to his enlistment, he had met Dorothy Alldredge at the First Baptist Church in Glendale. They were married on June 29, 1946. Shortly thereafter, they relocated to Stockton, to enter the life insurance business with his father-in-law, Bertram Alldredge, and later became the Stockton Branch Manager for Occidental Life Insurance Company. Following his retirement from Branch manager, he continued as an active life insurance agent for several years.
Dad's first love, besides Mom, was music. He had received training in the piano, then from 1938 to 1942, received voice training and choral training. He also took several courses for choral directing at Delta College. He became the Director of Music in 1963 at the First Baptist Church in Stockton (where he and Dorothy first joined in March 1947) and served in this position for many years. At one point, he led 4 different choirs in the church: the adult choir, a women's choir, a men's choir and a youth choir. He also led special musical programs at Christmas and Easter. He was the soloist at hundreds of funerals as well. Dad loved people and he demonstrated this compassion through his active participation in a number of philanthropic organizations, including Kiwanis, High Twelve, and Masons. He served for over 50 years as the Administrator for the Stanley Loan fund, counseling hundreds of college students in career goals and assisting them with the financial support to realize their educational goals. Dad raised three children in the house his father, a skilled carpenter, built. They moved into this house in October 1953 and he remained in this house until March 2003. He moved into an apartment at O'Connor Woods and enjoyed his new home and new friends for the next two years, until a series of strokes made him unable to live independently. He has since lived at Eve's Residential Estates, receiving superior, loving care.
Dad is survived by his three children, Earl Mykles of Stockton, Don Mykles (wife Vicki, son Christopher) of Fort Collins, CO, and Kay Miller (husband Robert) of Camarillo, CA. He is also survived by his brother Harold and wife Pauline of Fountain Valley, and sister Lillian of Reno, Nevada, along with several nieces and nephews. Dorothy, his loving wife of 52 years, predeceased him in September 1998. His older sister Adele predeceased him as well.
In spite of 5 hip surgeries, he never failed to support his family, serve his church and community. He was a kind and gentle man, yet unyielding in his values and beliefs. He was a faithful servant of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and it is with Him that he resides now for all eternity, with his loving wife Dorothy.
A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, 3535 N. El Dorado Street in Stockton, CA on Friday, February 8, 2008, at 11:00 a.m.. A private interment will take place at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi, CA. The family requests that donations be made in his memory to First Baptist Church or to Hospice of San Joaquin County.
