Michael Adell "Mike" Bellgard was born May 30, 1954 in Bakersfield, California and lost a long, hard fought battle with cancer on December 13, 2024, at home near Idabel, OK. He was the son of Alton Adell Bellgard and Margaret Louise Branscum. Mike considered his stepfather, Ray Pierce, his dad. He was preceded in death by all three parents and a brother, Kenny Bellgard.

Known as "Hippie" by his friends and family, Mike called many places home across the US and earned his living in many ways throughout the years. He loved cars, antiques, anything unusual or quirky and was brilliant at recognizing the value of things many people discarded as trash. He loved sharing his knowledge of how to determine if things were original or reproductions.

Mike loved WWII history, especially the airplanes of that era. He wanted to join the military and become a pilot, but his asthma disqualified him. He was extremely generous with anything he had and would help anyone he could in any time of need and loved without limit those who chose to be part of his life.

Mike loved reunions at the lake, camping with friends and hosting holiday meals for anyone who would come. He was always up for playing games and took a lot of flak for being very 'by the rules. If Mike thought you were playing it wrong, he would stop and get out his phone to look up the official rules of the game. If he played Jokers and Marbles with you, Mike had to have the red marbles, or he couldn't remember which ones were his.

Mike was quick to laugh at himself (or give himself a salty verbal shakedown), plunged ahead through hurt feelings never showing how deeply he felt the sting, and protected his gentle, kind heart with a gruff and grouchy exterior most of the time. He was well known for his love of Pepsi, always had a few on ice in his little cooler, and had an extensive collection of old Pepsi memorabilia on display. His standing rule was you could drink one of his Pepsi's, but you couldn't have the LAST one.

Mike always liked to have a very well-behaved canine buddy, usually a Pitt Bull, and always named with a "Z". Zero, Zane, Zeba were his faithful followers and traveled where he went until he got sick.

Mike was talented at everything he set his mind to and earned a living doing whatever was available. In California, he drove semi tow trucks. In some locations, he did handyman work, serviced fuel pumps and related equipment, and always had his talents in construction and restoring antiques to fall back on for income, although he enjoyed those two things as hobbies as well. In the last 12 years, he's built two homes for his wife in his 'spare time', without much help.

He had finally found a beautiful acreage and checked "homestead" off his bucket list, getting pens and cages and sheds built for his chickens, pigs, and rabbits. His first bull was purchased immediately before he became ill and had to sell off the livestock. While he was not able to fully complete construction of the last home, the saying "a builder's house is never complete" comes into play… he was remodeling finished parts as he was trying to finish new parts. He would constantly move or change cabinets and sinks or re-locate walls after deciding it would be handier THIS way, or open things up a bit.

New Years Day 2012, Mike declared himself the president of the He-Man Woman Hater's Club. In April, he met the love of his life, Andrea. His switch flipped and he often said he was living the best years of his life outside of his time with his kids.

Mike collected "new" unused old china and glassware. It had to be scratch less and shiny new, and he would find it piece by piece to complete his collection. His prized Blue Bouquet china was off limits, just for display, so when he set the table with it and served up a candlelight steak dinner on that china, lots of red roses... it was clear he was madly in love. Mike made it easy to say 'yes' when he dropped to a knee and proposed. If he was willing to sacrifice a couple place settings of his beloved china to the evils of a steak knife, how could there be any question that he would do ANYTHING for this gal? They married June 15, 2012, and he quickly became a much-loved part of her tribe.

Mike took great delight in pranks, sometimes intentional, sometimes through situations that just opened in front of him and he gladly stepped in to slap the button. Being a tall, skinny guy, he got many laughs putting things 'out of reach' for his short wife, then sitting back watching her figure out ways to get it without having to holler at him to come help. He would often buy gifts and set them in obvious places and never say anything, just to see how long it would take for her to notice them.

Surviving family includes his wife, Andrea of the home; daughter, Taryn Bellgard Eisenbrey; sons, Matthew Bellgard, Caleb Fichte (Mandi) of Ft. Gibson, OK, James Bellgard (Michelle) of Shady Point; brothers, Dennis Misener (Lisa) and Steve Bundy of Rock Island, John Pierce of AR, David Pierce of Poteau, and Aaron Pierce of CA; sister, Kathy Bellgard Harris of TN; eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was loved by a host of extended family and friends from across the US.