Mike Backsen died on Dec. 3, 2015. He was born on July 17, 1941, in Mandan, North Dakota. After graduating from high school, he spent three years in the Navy. He married Marcy Buresh in 1965, while attending North Dakota State University. She preceded him in death in 2006. He received a BSEE from NDSU in 1966 and an MSEE for the University of Wyoming in 1968.He and Marcy raised their family in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where Mike worked at the Los Alamos National Lab for 34 years. After retiring from the Lab, Mike and Marcy moved to Buena Vista, Colorado.Mike was a gym rat; he also enjoyed hiking, skiing, and coin collecting. He will be missed by his companion Becky Routon; his son Mick and his wife Monica; daughter Melissa Hertrich and her husband Chris; daughter Megan and her companion Scott; and his three grandchildren, Michaela, Micah, and Mara.