Michael Scott Park

Michael Scott Park, 56, of Charleston, South Carolina passed away peacefully on December 25, 2024 after a long and courageous battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. 

Michael was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on November 2, 1968 and moved to Rochester, MN in 1971. Michael graduated from Mayo High School in Rochester, MN in 1988 and graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1994 where he was also a collegiate swimmer. 

After college, Michael worked as a Special Education teacher and had many fond memories working summers as a swim and water sports instructor at Camp Courage North, a camp with programs for children with disabilities on Lake George in Northern Minnesota. He was proficient in American Sign Language and particularly enjoyed working with deaf campers. 

Michael moved to Los Angeles, California chasing new dreams in 1998 and married his now ex-wife Heather (Farley) McFee in 2001. He started working at WT Farley in 2007, the company founded by his former father-in-law Bill Farley. During his 17-year tenure at WT Farley, Michael eventually became the company’s Chief Operations Officer and was instrumental in growing the company to new levels of success and transitioning operations from California to Charleston, SC in 2019. 

Michael and Heather had three children who were his greatest pride and joy in life. In addition to his devotion as a father, Michael had a passion for cooking, traveling, and all things water including surfing, water skiing, wake boarding, fishing, and boating. From the lakes in Minnesota to the ocean waves in Malibu, California to the salt waters of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Charleston, Michael’s happy place was on the water.

Michael is preceded in death by his father Norbert Park and mother Kathryn (Kixmoeller) Park. Michael is survived by his son Kyle Park, daughter Farley Park, and son Pierce Park all of Charleston, SC; brother Bill (Teri) Park of Boise, ID, brother Tim (Stacey) Park of Costa Rica, and sister Laura (Nathan) Holmes of Newport Beach, CA; and by his beloved Labrador Retriever, Charlie. 

Michael also wished to express his deep gratitude both to the wonderful home health care team at Always Best Care and to the ALS Clinic team at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). 

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Harbor View Presbyterian Church, 900 Harbor View Rd, Charleston, SC 29412. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his honor may be given to The ALS Association (ALS.org). Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.