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Help Michael Bartend in Paradise

Hello all you lovely people!

We cannot express how deeply touched the friends and family of Michael A. Pfeiffer are for all of your help, love and support in trying to find him when we thought he was missing to the following days where we found out he took his own life.

Michael was one of those people you just wanted to be around and had a way of touching everyone he met.  He made you laugh, he always inserted the right amount of sass ; ), his smile was the prettiest thing he wore... although he looked amazing in plaid.  More importantly he was a loving, caring, compassionate Son, Brother, Nephew, Uncle, Friend an Employee. 

I had  the pleasure of being his Boss twice over 3.5 years and got to see him grow into this handsome young man who was a dynamite bartender.  We were a little nervous when he broke his collar bone and asked to bartend with only his left hand but he was enthusiastic about being able to do it and tackled it head on...we might need to start a one handed training program now for how fast you were after!  Any time I ever needed help with anything he was always said yes and I'm pretty sure sometimes he walked into work in slow motion or maybe thats just how my brain remembers the last time I saw him as he walked in to our employee party the Monday before he went missing.  He won our cocktail competition at the holiday employee party with Chambord... yes Chambord! His prize was a bottle of Toki Whisky which the next morning I got the following texts
Michael:" I just realized that the whiskey I won last is still in my backpack.  I just smuggled alcohol into an elementary school!"
Lisa: "That's amazing and just made my day"
Michael: " I'm PANICKING!"
Lisa: " I don't have any advice for you for once..."

Michael's wishes were to be donated to science if possible and if not to have a memorial service where we all get together and remember all of wonderful memories on how he touched our lives.  We will be having a Shindig at Whiskey Thief Tavern in Evanston, where he worked, on Sunday February 11th from 1 pm - 5pm.  I will be having some alcohol donated so 100% of proceeds of featured cocktails will go to his cremation and burial expenses and anything extra will be donated to charities such as American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, It Gets Better Project or any other charities that focus on Mental Illness, Alcohol Addiction or therapy to those who have lost love ones to  suicide. 

a few last words from Michael that he left us all "Please focus on the positive if and/or when you think of me. I admit that I have been a very sad man, who struggled to communicate my sadness, but I also held tightly onto the friendships I had. My connection to others and being of service were always of the highest priority. Please believe that, deep down, there always existed a wonderful person who was happily at peace with himself and others. He existed. He was there. He just got lost in the fray of a lot of mental illness and addiction. I hope you can forgive me.

Please give anyone who needs it the support they need for closure. Please look out for my family.

I have a lot of love to give. Really I do. If I could, I’d give everyone one final hug goodbye. Hug each other for me. Be good to each other for me. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that life takes you to wonderful, glorious heights.

Much Heart"

Michael, we all wish we could have helped take away your pain. Your life was a blessing,  your memory a treasure.  You were loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.

I hope you found the peace you were looking for and I hope we can provide the peace your family needs during this difficult time. 

You are forever in our hearts!
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Donations 

  • Sheila Gard
    • $40 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Lisa Selman
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Denise Pfeiffer
Beneficiary

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