FRESNO (KMJ) — Funeral details have now been finalized for the man credited with making Downtown Fresno’s Poverello House the shelter it is today.
Mike “Papa Mike” McGarvin died on Saturday July 1st at the age of 73. He passed away surrounded by friends and family in his home on the Poverello House campus.
“We’re all numb,” explains Executive Director Cruz Avila. “We’re just left speechless because he was the heart and soul of Pov.”
He says his presence is already missing from the hearts of staff members at the homeless shelter, which serves 1,600 meals a day to its clients.
“His body language, the way he interacted with the clients, just to see how he lights up a room when he stepped in. That is just one of the many, many legacies that Papa Mike left behind with his passing this past Saturday.”
Papa Mike’s health had been wavering since November 2016, and Avila reveals that his wife Mary never left his side.
“When you have that, it’s just amazing to be able to see that: that connection, that partnership.
“That’s what they embedded and gave us as mentees to mentors that they provided for us here at the Poverello House.”
The visitation and viewing of Mike “Papa Mike” McGarvin will be taking place on Tuesday July 11th, between 2pm and 6pm. That will be followed by a recitation of the Holy Rosary starting at 6pm. Both events will be inside Holy Spirit Catholic Church at 355 E. Champlain Drive in Fresno.
The funeral mass will be on Wednesday July 12th at 10am, also inside Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
A separate memorial service for homeless clients will be taking place on Friday July 14th between 10am and 12pm, at the Poverello House in Downtown Fresno.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
