Michael James “Mickey” McLeod passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026, surrounded by family, after a life filled with adventure, competition, friendship, and resilience. He was 71 years old.
Mickey was born on October 22, 1954, in Oakland, California, to Murdoch Mills McLeod of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Jane Swinson McLeod of Berkeley, California, and the Virgin Islands.
As one of eight siblings, Mickey experienced both the adventures and challenges of growing up in a Navy family, moving throughout the United States during his early years. In 1965, following the tragic death of his father, Murdoch, a Naval Aviator and Test Pilot based at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, the family settled in Coronado, California.
There, Jane courageously raised her eight children after being widowed at age 40, and Coronado became the family’s cherished home. The close-knit community would remain central to Mickey’s life for decades to come.
From an early age, Mickey was known for his quick wit, mischievous nature, and adventurous spirit. If one of the McLeod boys was caught stirring up trouble, family members often suspected Mickey was somewhere near the center of it. His sense of humor, infectious smile, and gift for storytelling remained hallmarks of his personality throughout his life.
Athletics became one of Mickey’s lifelong passions. After moving to Coronado, he became involved with the Coronado Yacht Club, where he earned the title of Junior Fleet Champion and qualified for a United States Junior Sailing Championship at just 13 years old.
As he grew older, his competitive spirit expanded into surfing, cycling, and paddleboarding. He competed in Masters National Cycling Championships, earned third place in a California State Cycling Championship, placed second in the Bay-to-Bay Paddleboard Race, and finished third in a national championship paddleboard event from Malibu to Hermosa Beach.
One of Mickey’s proudest personal accomplishments was cycling to the summit of Mount Evans, Colorado, climbing from 7,400 feet to more than 14,000 feet on what was then the highest paved road in the United States. Looking back on the experience years later, he simply said, “I loved the feeling of accomplishing that.”
Mickey’s career reflected his many interests and talents. Beginning with a childhood paper route, he later worked for the United States Postal Service, the Chart House Restaurant, and Holland’s Bicycles.
His love of cycling ultimately led him into a nearly three-decade career in the bicycle industry, where he worked in retail sales, represented bicycle parts manufacturers, and supported professional cycling events including the Coors Classic, Tour de Trump, and Tour DuPont races. Through cycling, he traveled extensively across the United States, collecting friendships and stories that he loved sharing for years afterward.
Although Mickey never married, it was not for lack of love. He enjoyed many meaningful relationships throughout his life and remained a romantic at heart. Family members fondly remember the story of a trip to Paris where he carried an engagement ring, intending to surprise the woman he loved with a proposal. Though life took an unexpected turn, the story reflected Mickey’s optimism, courage, and willingness to follow his heart.
In 2008, after moving to Oregon, Mickey was involved in a cycling accident that left him quadriplegic. While the accident dramatically changed his life, it never diminished the qualities that made him who he was. For the next eighteen years, he faced life’s challenges with remarkable resilience, determination, humor, and grace, adapting to circumstances that would have overwhelmed many others.
Eventually, Mickey returned to Coronado, where he was surrounded by the family and friends he loved. He remained deeply engaged with the world around him and never lost his enthusiasm for sports, music, food, travel, and conversation.
An avid fan of the San Diego Padres and Chargers, he could spend hours discussing games, players, statistics, and memorable moments. He loved attending sporting events and concerts with his brothers and sisters, sharing meals with friends, exploring craft beers, and listening to music from his treasured CD collection. Family and friends knew that a conversation with Mickey was rarely a short one—and that was part of his charm.
More than his accomplishments, Mickey will be remembered for the way he lived. He embraced adventure, valued friendships, loved deeply, competed fiercely, laughed often, and never stopped showing up for life. Whether on a sailboat, a surfboard, a bicycle, a paddleboard, or later from a wheelchair, Mickey approached life with courage, curiosity, and enthusiasm.
Mickey was preceded in death by his parents, Commander Murdoch Mills McLeod and Jane Swinson McLeod, both of whom rest at Arlington National Cemetery, and by his older brother, John Murdoch McLeod.
He is survived by his devoted siblings: Sandy (Mike) Hoppe, Judy (Ned) Smith, Donald (Richette) McLeod, Sara (John) Weaver, Mark (Amy) McLeod, and Charlie McLeod; his nieces and nephews, Matt (Mary) Ryan, Sean Ryan, Dillon (Cherry) Ryan, Jesse (Brittany) Smith, Jacob Smith, Alex McLeod, Alicia McLeod, Lauren McLeod, Madison McLeod, and Murdoch McLeod; his mother’s last remaining sibling, Gracie Swinson Martin; along with many cousins, extended family members, lifelong friends, and members of the cycling and Coronado communities whose lives were enriched by knowing him.
The family extends its deepest gratitude to Mark and Amy McLeod for their extraordinary caregiving, unwavering dedication, and loving support of Mickey throughout the years.
A paddle-out celebration of Mickey’s life will be held in Coronado on Friday, June 12 at 11 a.m. at Stan’s Beach (Coronado Shores South Beach – Avenue de las Arenas).
