Michael R. Stephenson, 64, of Decatur, IL, passed away on Wednesday (November 25, 2015) at 9:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Hospital, Decatur, following a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, November 28, 2015 at Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 66 East US Highway 36, Atwood, IL, with visitation held 2 hours prior to the services at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Mackville Cemetery, Atwood, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Cancer Care Center of Decatur, which helped give us over four and a half more years of memories with him following his diagnosis. Special thanks go out to Dr. Kairouz and his regular nurses, Victoria and Rachel for all the times they went above and beyond in caring for him.

Mike was born in Danville, IL, March 3, 1951, the first of three children born to Billy K. Stephenson and Elenor "Tip" (Smith) Mauck. He married his high school sweetheart, Mary Poindexter, on June 3, 1973. She survives.

Also surviving are his mother and stepfather, Elenor and Bob Mauck of Atwood; daughter, Heather (Greg) Hamilton of Decatur; son, Rob (Christy) Stephenson of Edwardsville, IL; grandchildren Peyton, Ethan, Luke, Kate and Lauren Hamilton, and Caleb and Chloe Stephenson. In addition, he is survived by his stepmother, Joyce Stephenson of Arthur, sisters Terri (Harold) Pygott and Kim Stephenson of Atwood; stepsisters Patty (Mike) Webb of Hammond and Debbie (Dave) Tiffan of Arthur, and stepbrother Jim (Theresa) Miller of Arthur. He was preceded in death by his father.

Mike retired in 2012 from Caterpillar in Decatur, IL, where he had worked in various positions since graduating from Eastern Illinois University in 1973. He shared a lot of laughs over many years with the lasting friends he made there. He loved to travel, especially to Disney World, where he took his family many times – including the seven grandkids (twice!) He always had a huge heart, though it was often hidden under a gruff exterior. After his diagnosis, we were blessed to see it shine through more than ever before. He loved to attend his grandkids' baseball, softball and football games, where they knew they could count on Papa Mike to provide "all you can drink" Capri Suns and an endless supply of dollar bills for the concession stand. He had a storytelling ability that was out of this world, and he never failed to entertain us with it. He was never much of a telephone person, but as he learned to text in recent years, he loved to keep up with friends and family that way, sometimes giving us even greater laughs due to his "chubby finger" typos.

He was loved and will be missed by so many.

Online condolences to the family may be shared via hilligossshraderfh.com