SALISBURY, Md. — Michael Kermit “Mike” Tawney, 61, passed away on Sept. 17, 2019, at Coastal Hospice in Salisbury, Maryland.

He was born in Franklin, Virginia, on April 8, 1958, and raised in Hunterdale. Mike spent most of his adult life in Tappahanock and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was a son of the late Richard Lewis Tawney and Gail Shea Hall Tawney.

Mike was a graduate of Franklin High School ‘76, where he was a stand-out football player and defender of marginalized students. Growing up, he was a member of High Street United Methodist Church and attended Haywood Community College.

Like his parents, he spent his career in the forest products industry and was a skilled sawyer with Union Camp Corporation, J.V. Wells and other independent sawmills.

He loved animals of all shapes and sizes, enjoyed fishing, gardening, and being close to the ocean. He was a kind soul with a loving heart.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 27 years, Margaret Baker “Meg” Tawney; his daughter, Michael Shea Tawney Cannon (Michael); a brother, William Patrick Tawney (Janice); three grandchildren, Zachary Aaron Walker, Dakota Shea Jackson, George Edward Jackson Jr.; a niece, Jordan Belle Tawney; a nephew, William Patrick Tawney Jr.; and many close cousins, friends; and two special dogs, Fiona and Rufus.

The graveside service will be on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 2 p.m., in Southampton Memorial Park with the Rev. Drew Dunn officiating. The celebration of life will follow in Wright Funeral Home from 3 to 5 p.m., when the family will receive friends.

If one would like to honor Mike’s life, the family suggests a gift to your local SPCA or the American Cancer Society.

www.wrightfuneralhome.org.