Mike died of prostate cancer on September 12, 2025, at home, with his family by his side. He was a man of many talents, interests, capabilities, and pet peeves. His only regret was that he did not have more time, and we who are left sadly agree.

He was beloved and admired in equal measure by his wife Judith Robertson; his children Nina (Devin Dutt) and Elizabeth (Samantha Kilpatrick); his siblings Janet Burchill (Cam) and John (Francine Viau); and his nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Predeceased by his parents Bruno and Patricia Patti (nee Caron).

Born in Montreal (and a lifelong Habs fan), Mike grew up in Smiths Falls, ON. Although he left to pursue an engineering degree, Smiths Falls never left him. Happily, he met a girl in his MBA class who had roots in the area. They married at the family cottage on Otty Lake and made it their home base while they lived and worked in Vancouver, San Francisco, and London, UK, before returning to Toronto, with two kids in tow.

Mike’s childhood hero was Spock, whose rational approach to life suited Mike’s highly quantitative and analytical mind. This, combined with his outgoing personality, led to an international career in industrial sales and distribution management. He enjoyed the challenge of learning and leading global high tech businesses, including in Silicon Valley in its early days. But he was not defined by his work and took his time off as seriously as his career. Hard work and good fortune allowed him to ‘retire’ early to spend more time with his kids and try his hand at teaching, investing in start-ups, and making music.

Mike was a natural athlete who was strong, fast, and smart. He loved team sports best (football, rugby, ball and roller hockey) but would happily chase, throw, or hit any ball. Even his book club was made up of former jocks. He was an outdoorsman – he loved to be in nature, whether hiking, canoeing, sailing, skating, skiing…even playing golf. For many years he organized an annual shinny weekend on a rink he made at the lake for his hockey-loving friends from California. He was cerebral – he soaked up knowledge and was endlessly curious about space, nature and how things worked.

Mike was a masterful host, whether cooking something fantastic, catching a bass for breakfast, or telling stories and reminiscing around the table. He had a knack for bringing people together and maintained friends from all eras of his life. With a collection of musical friends and family, he fronted a band that enjoyed twenty years of superstardom in cottage living rooms, Smiths Falls bars, and a sugar shack in Quebec. He was happiest singing harmonies, especially with his daughters.

He packed a lot into his 70 years, and, despite the misfortune of a late stage diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, he was determined to make good use of the time he had. He hosted friends and family in Tuscany, oversaw the completion of his dream lake house, and joyfully celebrated both of his children’s marriages.

We are grateful for the kind and compassionate care Mike received over the last three years. In particular we thank: Dr. Erica Vowinckel of River Medical Centre for her constant checking in; Dr. Urban Emmenegger of the Odette Cancer Centre for his valiant efforts to stave off the inevitable; and Drs. Russell Goldman and Melissa Melnitzer and the team at the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care for making the inevitable as good as it could be.

Memorial gathering will be held at Blair and Son - 112 Beckwith St N, Smiths Falls, ON K7A 2C3 on Saturday, October 11th. starting at 3 pm followed by a Reception.
Memorial gathering at Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre- 375 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, ON. M4T 2V8. Starting at 3 pm, followed by a Reception from 4 - 6 pm.

If desired, a donation to Wikipedia would please Mike and support the continued dissemination of free and unbiased information that he valued so highly.