Mike Gerard Filipowicz

Mike Filipowicz, 63, of Great Falls, passed away at Benefis on March 28, 2018 of chronic lymphatic leukemia. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 4th and Thursday, April 5th from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm at O’Connor Funeral Home. A reception will be held for Mike on Saturday, April 7, 2018 starting at 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Northwest Center. Mike was born March 2, 1955 in Great Falls; the fifth child of Al and Stella Filipowicz. Mike attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and graduated in 1973 from Central Catholic High School. Mike and his brothers worked with their dad Al at the city dump. When Al retired, Mike and his brothers started Filipowicz Brothers Recycling. Mike worked full time with the city sanitation for 42 years all the while working as a partner at Filipowicz Brothers Recycling. He was the longest city sanitation employee and officially retired from the city in December 2014. Mike met the love of his life, Sheree Sowell at the J Bar T in 1983. They married on May 16, 1987 and together they were blessed with three children. Mike had a real love for horses and enjoyed riding in the mountains.He also spent countless hours hunting and being outdoors with his family. Mike was the happiest when he was with his wife and children. Mike was outgoing and had a gift of gab. You could often find him on a phone. One of his passions was for junking and he enjoyed his cardboard route.He was well loved by many people for his generosity and kind heart. He was a hardworking man, a great husband and devoted father. Mike is survived by his wife Sheree; children Stephanie Filipowicz, Alex (Jessica) Filipowicz and Amy Filipowicz all of Great Falls; brothers, Joe (Peggy) Filipowicz of Cascade and Jim (Debbie) Filipowicz of Great Falls; sisters, Mary Anne (Bailey) Molineux of Helena, Sandy (John) Gordon of Butte and Barb (Tom) van der Mars of Helena and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Al and Stella Filipowicz, and a sister Carol Hand.