Michael Ennis

On April 8, 2025, Michael Kirby Ennis passed away after living life to the fullest for eighty-four years. He is survived by his four children, Kendra and her husband Aaron Davenport and their children, Tatum, Payton and Aelish; Kevin and his wife Karen and their children Maeve and Ryan; Mary Fran and her husband Stephen Pincher and their son Braedon, and Brendan and his wife Lisa and their children Liam, Owen, Rory, and Sean. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Kathleen McTague Hindman. He was predeceased by his wife of fifty-nine years, Maryalice, who died September 27, 2022; his first child, Michael McTague Ennis, who died in 1964; and his grandson, Aidan Michael Ennis, oldest son of Kevin and Karen, who passed away January 24, 2025. He was also predeceased by his parents, Helen and James Ennis; and his three siblings and their spouses, Jim and Pat Ennis, Bobby and Sheila Ennis and Margaret and Bob Meyer, all of whom are survived by their many children and grandchildren.

"Mike" (to his friends and family) was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Villanova University, majored in economics, and played football for a year or so and then rugby. Upon graduating, he entered Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport and received his commission in 1963. He met Maryalice fleetingly while in college but a second chance meeting in New York City at a bar on St. Patrick's Day clinched their union. They were married in Spring Lake, New Jersey later the same year. His Navy career spanned twenty years and took him and his family to Key West, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Groton, Connecticut before bringing them back to Newport where they ultimately settled. He spent several deployments overseas, including an unaccompanied tour in South Korea during the Vietnam War where he worked in naval intelligence. While on active duty in 1978, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Bryant University, formerly Bryant College. He loved his time in the Navy and his career helped shape his perspective and life goals, providing great personal fulfillment and pride. Upon retiring from the Navy in 1982 as a Commander, Mike began a second twenty-year career with General Dynamics, where as a warfare systems analyst, he worked on the Trident Modification and Sea Wolf programs. Throughout his professional life, Mike developed strong enduring friendships, which he nurtured for more than six decades.

Known for his ingenuity, mechanical and intellectual curiosity, he enjoyed countless pursuits that honed his ability to fix anything. Just thirteen when he learned to drive, Mike reveled in fixing and working on cars, and restored two TR6's and his beloved 1965 Willys Jeep Truck. Later in life, he developed a love of gardening and cultivated beautiful hydrangeas over more than thirty years, which continue to thrive and serve as a beautiful testament to his green thumb. He was an avid member of the Rhode Island Dahlia Society and each spring, he conscientiously prepared his Dahlia tubers to plant and harvest throughout the summer and, some years, well into the fall.

Mike and Maryalice loved the life they built in Rhode Island. Decades spent on Aquidneck Island turned Mike into a true "Swamp Yankee," who took great delight in repurposing, reusing, and economizing - like the hedge trimmer extension he created with a hockey stick. Always economizing, every pill bottle, milk carton, plastic bag and newspaper in his possession was reused or repurposed. Mike often engineered with zeal simple and complex Rube Goldberg contraptions to solve life's vexing dilemmas.

Shortly after they married, Michael and Maryalice lost their first child, "Baby Michael," to sudden infant death syndrome. Later, four more children were born over the course of seven years at the Newport Navy Hospital, forming the family to which he dedicated himself in every way. By his children, he was both adored and revered for his selflessness, integrity, loyalty, patriotism, and strong principles. His determination and discipline defined him, but his eternal optimism and positivity comprised the blueprint for the way he lived life. His wit was his superpower and with it he could effortlessly diffuse even the tensest of situations.

His pale blue Irish eyes were always smiling, and he was devoted to his family. He was happiest in the company of his children and their children who called him "Grander." He considered all of them to be life's greatest gifts.

His Catholic faith was deep and constant, and he exercised it with devotion in joy and in sorrow. By example, he instilled that faith in his children and their children, and it tempers their loss and the profound sorrow they feel at his passing. His was a life very well lived and punctuated by much happiness, boundless humor, teasing and laughter. His legacy lives on in countless memories cherished by his family and the wonderful life he created for them by dedicating his own life to their security, well-being, and happiness.

Calling hours will take place at 215 Prospect Avenue, Middletown from 11:30AM-2:30PM, May 3, 2025, following a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 12 William Street, Newport, RI 02840 at 10:00AM

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in memory of Michael to Rhode Island Meals on Wheels, where he volunteered for many years. www.rimeals.org