Michael "Mike" Dale Brierley

1. Michael "Mike" Dale Brierley
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   1. February 9, 1948 - August 17, 2026
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   3. Michael "Mike" Dale Brierley, 78, of Casper, Wyoming, passed away on August 17, 2026.
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   5. Mike was born February 9, 1948, in Denver, Colorado, to Everett and Marian Brierley. The eldest of seven children, Mike grew up alongside his brothers and sisters in Denver.
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   7. Mike proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from April 1969 to April 1973. During his nearly four years of service, he spent one year stationed in Taiwan and was also stationed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
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   9. On October 4, 1975, Mike married the love of his life, Martha "Marty" Brierley. Mike and Marty began their married life in Denver before moving to York, Nebraska, and later to Grand Junction, Colorado. In 2006, they moved to Casper, Wyoming, where they made their home for the next 20 years. On October 4, 2025, Mike and Marty celebrated an incredible milestone - 50 years of marriage.
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   11. Mike spent 38 years working as an engineer for Sundstrand Aerospace during the years he and Marty lived in Nebraska and Grand Junction. Engineering was a fitting career for a man who loved figuring out how things worked and was happiest when he could build, fix, create, or tinker with something.
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   13. Cars were one of Mike's lifelong passions. In his younger years, he raced cars, and throughout his life he rebuilt classic cars. He was always buying, selling, or trading one car for another. His final build was a 1968 Camaro SS, a fitting last project for someone who had spent so many years with a love for classic cars and everything mechanical.
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   15. As getting out to the shop and working on cars became more difficult in his later years, Mike poured more of his time into another passion - model trains. They allowed him to continue doing the things that came naturally to him: working with his hands, paying attention to the details, tinkering, building, and creating.
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   17. Mike was also incredibly musical. Throughout his life, he played in several bands, loved playing guitar, and was an amazing drummer. Whether he was behind a drum kit, holding a guitar, under the hood of a classic car, or working on his trains, Mike was always creating something.
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   19. And then there was Mike's personality.
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   21. Mike could be stubborn as they come, ornery, and always ready to give someone he loved a hard time. His grandchildren were frequent targets of Grandpa's teasing, and he never missed an opportunity to share his opinion about the choices they made.
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   23. Brynna's ripped jeans were a particular source of concern for Grandpa. Mike regularly asked her if she needed money to buy a new pair of pants, never quite understanding why anyone would intentionally pay for jeans that already had holes in them.
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   25. That was Mike. The teasing was part of the love.
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   27. Of all the things he built, collected, played, raced, repaired, and enjoyed throughout his 78 years, his family was what mattered most. Mike loved being Grandpa, and his grandchildren and great-granddaughters brought him tremendous joy.
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   29. Family took many forms throughout Mike's life. He also helped raise his niece, Michelle Coursey, and nephew, Jimmy Brierley, playing an important role in their younger years.
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   31. Mike is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Martha "Marty" Brierley; his sister, Maureen; his honorary daughter, Garijo Martinson, and her husband, Brian; his grandchildren, Wyatt Brierley and his wife, Hailee; Breyden Martinson; Brynna Brierley; and Peyton Martinson; and his great-granddaughters, Lily and Rayne Brierley.
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   33. He is also survived by numerous beloved nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and a great-great-nephew, as well as extended family and friends.
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   35. Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Everett and Marian Brierley; his brothers, Paul and Jimmy; and his sisters, Kathy, Erin, and Karen.
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   37. Mike leaves behind a lifetime of memories, more than a few cars that passed through his hands, music that will forever remind his family of him, model trains that reflect his patience and creativity, and generations of people who knew exactly what it meant to be teased by Mike.
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   39. He will be deeply missed as a husband, brother, Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, uncle, great-uncle, great-great-uncle, and friend.
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   41. And somewhere, we suspect, Mike is still wondering why in the world Brynna won't just buy a perfectly good pair of jeans without holes in them.
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   43. A service honoring Mike's life will be held Friday, September 18, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel at Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, Wyoming.
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