Michael J. Reagan

Michael J. Reagan 82, of Roseburg, Oregon passed away Thursday, January 4th, 2024.
A memorial service will be held Friday, March 15, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Wilson's Chapel of the Rose's. Military Honors will follow at1:00 PM within the grounds of Roseburg National Cemetery. A gathering for family and friends will follow at Mike and Alice's home.

Life Remembered Michael James Reagan “Anthropologist, Radio Operator, Author, Poet”
January 12, 1941-January 4, 2024
Mike was born to James and Blanche Reagan, January 12, 1941, on Long Island, New York, and named Michael James Reagan. Sister Patricia was 3 years older, brother Robert, 3 years younger. Then came Tom and later Brian. Their grandparents had emigrated from Ireland. At age 6, Mike began his working life selling doughnuts to help the family when the Reagan’s moved to Florida. From this young age Mike felt a sense of duty which never waned. While serious like his father, Mike developed a sense of humor from his mother. Not long in Florida, through the generosity of the New Jersey church, Pat, Mike, and Bob graduated from Catholic schools. Mike dreamed of college, but without means, began working for Lafayette Radio. While growing up, Mike observed that his father read avidly about international affairs in the daily news. Mike received his first radio as a gift from his father at 12. These sparked Mike’s life-long interest in world affairs.
February 1, 1966, at age 25, Mike was drafted into the army. He served a full tour of duty in Chu Chi, Vietnam. He built a professional radio station at the base. Serving as primary radio operator for soldiers to call home, Mike worked in the base hospital at the bedside of the injured and dying. To ensure he was doing enough, he also helped in the morgue and volunteered as door gunner in a Huey. The resulting trauma, along with effects of agent orange left wounds with Mike, which he battled for the rest of his life.
Mike was released in November of 1967, settling in Oregon with Jacquelyn Cowgill, with whom he worked in Chu Chi. Soon thereafter the two married and began a family giving birth to sons Jon and Patrick.
Taking advantage of the GI bill, Mike pursued his dreams of higher education, earning Baccalaureate and Masters Degrees, and completing All but Dissertation towards his Doctorate in Anthropology with a minor in Archaeology, at University of Missouri.
After his education, bringing then spouse Mary Oman and son Michael back to Oregon, Mike began work with the Forest Service in 1980 as an Archaeologist. Not long after that he began working as a Communications Technology specialist. He took care of Forest radio networks, worked on large fire incidents, wrote the first Forest Service policy for setting up fire-fighting radio networks, and developed and led the first computer help desk for the Chief’s Office.
This led him to working with US Agency for International Development, and eventually the State Department where he completed a number of humanitarian missions world-wide, and served as the principal member for the UN subcommittee on communication for the United States. It was during this time in the Nation’s Capital that Alice and Mike were married.
Since the 1980s Mike, aka NI7T, was devoted to a group of ham radio operators. To name a few of “The Street Corner” gang here would do dis-service to others. Whether building antennas, debugging a set-up, traveling to mountain tops, contesting in foreign countries, or simply contesting, this close-knit group of friends gave purpose and pleasure to Mike’s life.
Forty-six years after being drafted, upon arriving in Roseburg, Oregon Mike turned to the Veterans Administration seeking help. The Vietnam Veteran’s group facilitated by Brian Goodey helped Mike begin working through his trauma. He found comradery with his fellow Vietnam Veterans that had been missing. The gift this circle of friends gave Mike was that of life itself. He began to heal. This healing allowed Mike to build ties with his 3 sons and to strengthen ties with his siblings. And this gave him peace and happiness at the last stage in his life, accompanied by his attentive Service Dog, Rilee.
Around daybreak the morning of January 4th, 2024, Mike slipped away peacefully in his sleep with a slight smile on his face. Now is the time for NI7T’s silent key.
Michael is survived by wife Alice; 3 sons, Jon and Patrick Reagan, and Michael Oman-Reagan; sister Patricia Janssen; brothers Bob and Tom Reagan; nephews Joe, James, Jeff, Michael; niece Mary; and ex-spouse Mary Oman-Reagan, mother of Michael Oman-Reagan. His brother Brian and ex-spouse Jackie Reagan, mother of Jon and Patrick, preceded Mike in death.