Mike grew up in Shelton, CT, graduating from Shelton High School. He graduated with a B.A. in political science from Trinity College (Hartford). In 1992 he completed his M.S. in management from the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, CA). He worked for the State of Connecticut in the Office for Management and Budget. He also worked as chief health economist and in several other executive positions in the social services for the State of Vermont. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, after attending Officer Candidate School in 1982. He retired after 20 years of service in 2002, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. His service included submarine tours in the 1980s and early 1990s, based out of a number of duty stations around the world. He completed his career as Navy liaison at Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME.
Mike was an avid golfer, as well as handyman extraordinaire, having upgraded nearly every part of his house over the years. He was also very generous in helping family and friends with their own home improvement efforts. Mike and Debbie loved their trips to Bar Harbor, taking in the ocean vistas and just being together.
They also traveled to North Conway, NH annually to celebrate their wedding anniversary and kick off the Christmas shopping season. They loved going to Wiscasset Speedway, spending numerous Sundays at the track, and you could always catch them watching NASCAR races at home. He was very fond of political debates as well, and would engage anyone in a spirited discussion. He also loved solving the daily crossword puzzle, cryptoquote, and other brain teasers. He was well known for his love of a good game of Scrabble, which he could often be found playing late into the night.
He enjoyed spending time with family, especially his grandchildren. After his retirement, Mike was a committed caregiver to his wife, Debbie.
He is survived by his two children, Zachary (Katherine) Gragen of Ashland, MA and Mary (Michael) Rogers of Laurence Harbour, NJ, two grandchildren, Laura and Jack, and his special nephew, Eric (Amy) Brewer.
Visiting hours will be Tuesday, July 8, 2014, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal St., Brunswick. Funeral services will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2014, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Rogers Cemetery in Topsham.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851. Please visit www.brackettfuneralhome.com to view a tribute video and leave a message of condolence for the Gragen family.
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