Michael Daniel Polachek

Our wonderful father, extraordinary grandfather, loyal friend and devoted husband, Michael Daniel Polachek, age 78, passed away peacefully in Scottsdale, AZ after a brief but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on February 19, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Betty and Lester Polachek. In 1973 he married his college sweetheart, Jane Strand of Dubuque, Iowa and the family grew to 5 with the birth of their 3 sons, Brett, Brian and Blair.

Mike was a proud graduate of Arizona State University and a member of the Phi Sig fraternity, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1970. He began his successful real estate career in 1974 when he took a position with Grubb & Ellis. Subsequently, he became the development partner for Trammell Crow Company and later held a brokerage partnership with RED Development. Mike was one of the first innovators in the retail industry to specialize in tenant representation and was the State Director for Arizona and New Mexico with the International Council of Shopping Centers. Mike’s current role was Executive Vice President with SRS Real Estate Partners which he joined in 2009.

His love of real estate and relationships, business development and deal-making were only surpassed by the love for his friends, family and above all, his beloved wife of 51 years. He was an avid sports fan, most notably of the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Los Angeles Dodgers- he’d tell you his favorite meal was a Dodger dog. With season tickets to the ASU football, basketball and baseball teams for over 3 decades, he very rarely missed a game. He would regularly take his grandchildren to the Sun Devil games and when not in the stands for the Devils, Mike would be in the bleachers and on the sidelines to watch his 6 grandchildren compete. A typical Saturday would find Pop Mike at no fewer than 5 games cheering them on.

Mike was an avid philanthropist participating actively in his Arizona community. He served as a member of The Thunderbirds, a board member of Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Club, and on the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Neurology Board.

Mike had a competitive nature on the field and with his work, his heart was huge, his generosity profound and his laugh infectious. His smile led every conversation and his boundless optimism and zest for life beamed his 78 years. He was a mentor to many, a true friend- steadfast, trustworthy, and kind. His calm demeanor and supportive presence will be undoubtedly missed by all.

Aside from his parents, Mike is preceded in death by his brother and sister-in-law, Mel and Cindy Strand. He is survived by his beloved wife, Jane, his 3 sons Brett (Lara), Brian (Cristina) and Blair (Katherine), his loving sister Joanne (Colin) and her children Lindsay Sarnoff and Evan Newhouse. His cherished grandchildren are Lexie (18), Luke(16), Matthew(17), Andrew(14), Patrick(12) and Gianna(11). He is also survived by his brother-in-law Daniel Strand and Daniel’s daughters Dana (Joey)Snyder, Adrienne (Alex) McClymont and Casey (Rob) Karp. Mike’s loving nieces Susan (Doug) Tymins, Kristen (Steve) Rooney, Erin (Bob) Moser and the many children of all his nieces and nephews will deeply miss and always fondly remember their Pop Mike.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities that were close to Mike’s heart:

Sun Devil Club

https://sundevilclub.org/memorial/loving-memory-mike-polachek-sun-devil-life

Thunderbird Charities

https://thunderbirdscharities.org/donate/

Hospice of the Valley

https://www.hov.org/donate/