Michael W. Born

Michael W. Born, 55, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away at his home from sudden cardiac death on December 15, 2020. The celebration of his life will be held Sunday, May 23, 2021. The family hopes that many will have been vaccinated by then and that the weather will allow for gathering outside. The location is not yet determined.

Michael was born and raised in McPherson, Kansas by Barbara and Wilbert Born. He went to college at Washburn University, where he met his wife, Wendi, and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He went to law school at Boston University. He worked in the area of Cyber Security and Privacy Practice at Berkley RE. He was a Board Member of InfraGard, a non-profit, public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was a regular member at the Sage Yoga Studio in Kansas City. He was an avid Dungeons & Dragons player for more that 40 years and was active at the local and national level.

Michael had no known illnesses. He was happier at work over the last year at Berkley than he had been for a long time; he felt useful and knew his skills were appreciated. Due to the pandemic, he no longer travelled, he worked from home, and spent a great deal of time with his family. His family ate healthily during the pandemic because Michael did almost all of the shopping and cooked for them every day. Michael did yoga 3 times a week for many years at Sage yoga studio. Despite the tragedy of the pandemic, it was one of the happiest years in his family’s life.

Michael is survived by many who loved him: his mother, Barbara Born; his wife of 34 years, Wendi (MacMurray) Born and their children, Haley Renee Born; Riley Born, and Riley’s partner, Abigail Middleton; his brother, Jeffrey Born; his sister, Janet (Born) Johnson and husband Jerry Johnson, and their children, Jessica and Jeremy Johnson; his biological mother, Phyllis Peck, husband Charles Peck, and their daughter, Carrie (Peck) Fabrizio and husband Jeff Fabrizio; his uncle John Born and wife Irma Born; his cousin John Edgar Born and wife Linda Born and their children, Melinda and Jonathan; his cousin Amy (Born) Jarvis and husband John Jarvis, and their sons, John Lee, Jacob, and Jamie.

Michael was preceded in death by his father, Wilbert Born, in April of 2020. Michael gave his eulogy.

 

I lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to one of the following.

KCUR, Kansas City Public Radio at KCUR.org

Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church https://onrealm.org/smuuchurch/-/give/nowfor the purpose of building improvements related to housing a homeless shelter (10-20 project) and food pantry.

Condolences

  1. Mark (Marty) Criner on January 20, 2021 at 1:44 pm

    Wendi- My deepest heartfelt condolences to you and your family on the loss of Mike. Please be well.



  2. Scott H on January 20, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    I was saddened to hear of this loss. Michael had a great reputation in the industry, and in my business dealings, I found him to be patient and thoughtful. My condolences to those closes to him. It’s very challenging to loose close ones too soon.



  3. Therese Rhodes on January 20, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    Hi Mrs. Born! I am SO saddened to hear this news. I worked with Michael at Media Pro/AXIS in the early 2000’s and he was always smiling… he was a good guy. I lost my husband unexpectedly in July of 2019, so I can understand the shock and pain that you and your family are going through. There is no amount of condolences I can offer to ease that pain so I’ll just say this…. there is no calendar deadline for grief’s pain, take your time to walk through this and never stop moving one foot in front of the other. Also know that he is with you and your family and will ALWAYS be in your corner. I will be praying for peace for you and your family at this time of such great loss.

    Sincerely,
    Therese Rhodes



  4. Kirstin Simonson on January 20, 2021 at 4:25 pm

    Born Family:
    I am stunned and saddened to hear of Michael’s passing – my deepest sympathies to all. I recall my last encounter with him at the a conference in Santa Monica in 2019 and he was truly energized by his new job, everything going on in his life – we had a great conversation, and he will be missed.

    Keeping you in my prayers.



  5. Rex Johnson on January 20, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    Wendi And family, I am very saddened to hear about Michael. It doesn’t seem that long ago when he and I met for coffee on the Plaza. I had known you from Wichita North, and it was an amazing coincidence to learn that he was your husband. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Haley, Riley, and family.



  6. Laura Burke on January 21, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    Michael was kind and humble. I always respected him and looked up to him. He will be missed. My prayers are with you.



  7. Judy Greenwald on January 22, 2021 at 11:16 am

    I had interviewed Michael as a reporter for Business Insurance magazine and enjoyed working with him. I am so sorry to learn of your loss. Please accept my condolences.



  8. Donald Avery on January 22, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    We had the privilege of having Michael join our Berkley team not long ago. He was not only a smart man, he was a kind man and very personable. Easy to talk with and he made our culture even better.

    Our condolences to Wendi and the family.



  9. Theresa Hursh on January 25, 2021 at 6:15 am

    Wendi, I knew Michael from Sage and Lockton and am so saddened to hear of his death. I remember him so fondly.



  10. The Mellor Family on January 25, 2021 at 9:30 am

    I have mulled over a message to you, Riley and Haley and nothing seems quite right. Mike was an amazing person, father, husband and friend. So many good memories of times in KC, Chicago and at the lake houses on Lake Michigan. Blessed to have known him. Many hugs to you and the kids. The Mellor Family



  11. Montina Cole on January 29, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Dear Wendi, I was so sad to learn of Mike’s passing. Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.



  12. Mary Durig on February 8, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    Dear Wendi and family,
    I am so sorry to hear about Michael. I had the privilege of working with him at Lockton. He was always kind, smart and a true gentleman. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all.



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