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Obituary and life story submitted by the family

M

ichael Edward North, 74, of Oriental, passed away at his home on August 11, 2025. He had incredible courage and fought his cancer valiantly to the end.

Michael on a cold 2013 New Year’s Eve in Oriental, at the running of the dragon.

Michael grew up in Rockville, Connecticut and followed family tradition, joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a teen. After his service, he traveled the country as a union rigger and millwright on power plants and other large construction projects. After some years in Arizona, he settled back in New England.

At 36, he met Tara in the ski patrol room at Maple Valley Ski Area in southern Vermont. In the late 80s, they had a construction company, where he raised barns, built and renovated homes, and created outdoor living spaces.

His dedication to his work was matched only by the unwavering commitment he showed to those he cared about, not just his family but the community – coaching little league and junior basketball, working as an EMT on the Rescue squad, following his father’s footsteps as a volunteer firefighter, and with friends – ski patrolling and sailing, country line dancing, competition shooting, teaching gun safety, and helping to found the Marine Corps League Dragon Detachment in Oriental.

1990. Tara and Michael’s wedding in southern Vermont. (For Mike, third time was the charm.)

Michael was very active as a young man including bicycling around New England, climbing Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and later canoeing/kayaking down the Allagash River in Maine. There was always a motorcycle or two in the garage and he biked cross-country three times (once solo), making lifelong friends along the way. His passion for hiking, camping, boating and fishing took him to the most serene and beautiful places, usually with family or friends… and a loyal dog at his side.

Beloved pups RaffleB and PandaBear with Michael and Tara in 2012, overlooking Oriental Harbor Village Marina. (Ben Casey photo)

As his work career wound down following a serious auto accident, Michael was Tara’s rock, a steady presence through every challenge as she built her career in construction management. They lived in New York for a bit, renovating a property they bought on foreclosure, and he was quick to help set up temporary homes (and then conjugal visits) in New Jersey, Virginia and Oklahoma when she had out-of-town assignments.

He loved his guitar and was a fierce supporter of Tara’s musical passions. Together they had some wonderful adventures in Italy, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest, cruises to Bermuda and the Caribbean, as well as regular road trips from wherever they were to parts North, and from NC to parts West – including National Parks in Utah and Colorado.

As his health deteriorated, travel became more difficult, but they flew to Indiana on a snowy weekend so he could give “First Salute” to his nephew John Philip Howard III at his U.S. Navy Commissioning ceremony (and Purdue University graduation). Michael was so proud.

Michael and nephew John Philip Howard III at his Purdue graduation and U.S. Navy Commissioning ceremony in Indiana, 2019.

They settled in North Carolina in 2007, and Michael’s imagination and inventiveness brought their unique log home to life, adding gazebo, decks and ramps, an orchard, and eventually a tranquil pond.

Michael’s vision for design was matched by an equally profound love for animals. Whether it was the dogs that were a constant presence in his life, or the rescued cats (and raccoons and opossum and deer) that roamed his and Tara’s little piece of paradise. Michael’s gentle care for creatures great and small was a testament to his kind heart.

He was a fierce patriot and always had a ready hand to help a neighbor or a family member, with a quiet humility that never sought praise. His presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Michael’s beloved Bailee (a PAWS rescue), at home in Oriental in 2025.

Michael leaves behind Tara, his wife of 35 years; siblings Dennis, Gary and Kathie; children Michael, Dustin and Crystal; niece and nephews Jennifer, Timothy, Paul, Philip, Brayden and Reese; and thirteen grands. Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Elsie.

Memorial donations to Pamlico Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) are welcomed at PO Box 888, Oriental, NC 28571.

Michael’s life was celebrated in October on a glorious day in Oriental, with friends and family gathered from the four corners of the country. The celebration included music by the Pamlico Flutes and a Marine Corps Honor Guard providing a rifle salute, folding & presenting of the US flag, and the sounding of Taps. (All that was missing was the roar of a motorcycle gang riding by.)

Posted Tuesday February 17, 2026 by Allison DeWeese