Michael James Menard

Michael "Mike" James Menard, 79, peacefully passed away at home on July 8, 2025 of acute kidney failure. A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date in Lake Lotawana, Missouri.

Mike was born in Denver Colorado on September 24, 1945 to Madora (Hisel) Menard and Raphael "Ray" Menard. Mike and his parents and siblings moved back to Kankakee Illinois, where his grandparents and relatives lived. Mike considered Kankakee his childhood home. As a child, he loved playing with his siblings and neighborhood friends, he enjoyed having a paper route and he loved to explore his hometown, especially swimming in the Kankakee River and the local creeks. He would float in the water dreaming of one day being a captain on a boat.

In high school Mike excelled as a student athlete in wrestling, cross country, track and diving. He attended Olivet Nazarene College where he met his first wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Flom. During the Vietnam War, Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force and served a Signal Operator. He was very proud of being a veteran and of serving his country. In 1966, Mike and Betty welcomed home twin sons Michael and Patrick. Soon after the twins were born, Mike changed his enlistment to the Air Force Reserves. Mike and Betty lived in Minnesota where Mike worked for Burlington Northern Railroad.

After a divorce, Mike moved to Kansas City to live with his brother David. He met his second wife, Mary Surprenant, in Kansas City, where they welcomed home their son Brad Menard in 1975. They lived on Lake Lotawana, next door to his brother David. Mike loved living on Lake Lotawana and he considered the lake and his brother David his home port. While living in Missouri, Mike worked as a manager for a restaurant supply company (Smith St James) among other jobs.

After he and Mary were divorced, Mike went to work on the Mississippi Queen paddlewheel cruise boat as the Storeroom Manager. After a few years on the boat, Mike switched to working as a deckhand so that he could accumulate time on the “deck” to qualify to take his United States Coast Guard First Mate license and start his career towards becoming a licensed Captain (Pilot) which was his childhood dream. The Mississippi Queen is where he met his third wife, Rebecca "Becki" Stewart where she worked as the Recreation Director, among other positions. They were married in 1980 in a backyard ceremony at her childhood home in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The year that Mike and Becki they were married, Mike changed from working as the First Mate on the Mississippi Queen to being the Captain on the Creole Queen which was docked in New Orleans for the Worlds Fair. This was the start of his career as a Riverboat Captain (Pilot) that included working on riverboats in multiple states and on many different waterways. Mike worked as captain on the Colonel Riverboat in Galveston, Texas, the Queen of Clarksville in Clarksville Tennessee, and the Mississippi Belle which had daylong cruises between Davenport and Dubuque Iowa. He also served as Director of Marine Operations on the Lady Luck riverboat in Bettendorf, and as Captain for Jumers' Riverboat and the Celebration Belle in the Quad Cities. Mike loved working on passenger vessels and joked that he would rather smell perfume than diesel fumes (from towboats).

In 1994, Mike and Becki welcomed home Jacques Pierre (JP) and then another son Andre Francois in 1996. Mike was a very active parent who at one time homeschooled his sons. He supported their involvement in school activities and sports and Boy Scouts where both sons earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Mike loved to go camping and fishing with his sons and his brother Myron and his lifelong best friend Bill Freitas. He took J.P. and Andre on canoe trips down the Iowa and Cedar rivers and on many adventures including hiking in the Grand Canyon.

Mike loved to take road trips. Many of the road trips were to visit relatives in different states, but often the road trips were to see different sites such as Mount Everest and Disneyland. Mike was a lifetime athlete who enjoyed running the local Bix 7 Race and taking his sons on the Fathers’ Day Ride the River multi-state bike ride. Mike loved to learn about current events and history, and he would read magazines such as Time and Newsweek from cover to cover. He liked to listen to “talk” radio and discuss politics with his friends and family. He cared about his community and once a month for many years he and his wife Becki and their sons Andre and J.P. served “Share a Meal” at the Salvation Army with Christ Methodist Church of Davenport. They also helped to transport the donated food from the church to the local food pantry and helped at the church food booth at the county fair each year as a family.

Mike was very proud of his support of the boy scout troop based at Adams Elementary School including his help and assistance at the weekly meetings and his help with the campouts and other adventures, while J.P. and Andre were active members of this troop. He and Becki established a children’s resale store called Kids Crew which they successfully ran for fifteen years in Davenport. He supported Becki with her journey to return to school to complete her master’s degrees and her National Board Certification for her career as a teacher.

Mike had a great sense of humor, and he loved to tell jokes. He loved to watch T.V. shows about history, musicals such as Chicago, survival shows such as Naked and Afraid and shows about gold mining. Mike was very proud of all five of his sons and the wonderful men that they have become. Mike was a wonderful father and a great husband, and he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Madora Menard; his brothers Richard and David; and his sister JoAnn.

Mike is survived by wife Becki and his sons: Michael (Mary) Menard, Patrick (Kelly) Menard, Brad Menard, J.P. (Hue Dong) Menard, and Andre Menard and his girlfriend Christian Raab who also was a main caregiver for Mike; his many grandchildren including Rowan, (a new grandson who was born in August 2024 who Mike just met and held this month); his sister Patricia (Gaylord) Gordon; his brother Myron Menard; his sister-in-law Carol Menard (his brother Davids’ widow); and by his wife Becki’s many siblings and their spouses, as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, his by ex-wives Betty and Mary and their families. Mike will also be missed greatly by his lifelong best friend William (Wild Bill) Freitas.

Thank you, Mike, for sharing your love, wisdom, humor, spirit, service and joy with so many. May you rest in peace.