Michael Keith Rosia

Michael Keith Rosia, 68, passed away unexpectedly on the morning of August 4, 2026, while doing something he loved: reading his newspaper in his truck.

Mike was born on December 25, 1957, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Marine Master Sergeant Cornelius Francis Rosia and June Frances Rosia. He was the sixth of seven children. From Honolulu, the military family moved to Parris Island, South Carolina, where they lived for six years, then to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for four years, before eventually settling in San Marcos, California. Mike graduated with honors from San Marcos High School in 1975.

After graduating, he worked in construction for more than 20 years. Some of his brothers followed in their dad’s footsteps into military life. Mike liked to say he did too, proudly calling himself a Devil Pup after participating in the Devil Pups program.

In 1979, Mike met Kit at a dance at Palomar College. After their first date at the San Diego Zoo, he took her home to meet his parents and told them, “She’s the one I’m going to marry.” Eleven quick years later, they were married on February 3, 1990, in San Diego, California.

Two years later, they welcomed their baby girl, Brianna Nicole. In 1997, the family packed up and moved from Encinitas, California, to St. George, Utah. As the owner of Mike Rosia Carport Repairs, Mike had begun looking into moving his business to Las Vegas. However, while driving to Salt Lake City to visit family, they stopped in St. George, fell in love with it, picked out a home, and, as they often liked to say, “From that point, we never left!” They opted for small-town life, while Mike kept his business in Southern California. In the spring of 2000, they welcomed the final piece of their heart, Trevor Michael.

Mike would drive back and forth between St. George and Southern California, working from sunup to sundown on hot metal beams to provide for his family. Not only was he the hardest worker his family knew, but he truly loved everything about carports! He was constantly on the lookout for them and would get excited whenever he spotted one that needed repairing. Kit, Brianna, and Trevor would sometimes accompany him on jobs, helping take photos or write notes. Mike especially loved that Brianna could hold the end of the measuring tape like a champ.

Anyone who knew Mike knew he was an enormous sports fan with an incredible depth of knowledge across nearly every sport. Throughout his life, he was also well-known for his sports predictions, always ready with his take on the next game, race, or season.

Mike played varsity soccer and tennis at San Marcos High School and was also a frequent high-scoring basketball player throughout San Diego County. While he loved playing sports, he loved coaching just as much. He served as head coach of the first team in the history of San Marcos youth baseball. Sponsored by Sun Fresh Florist, the team became known as “Flower Power” and went undefeated in its first season, finishing 18-0 in 1976. As a coach, Mike also led a San Marcos team into the Escondido Boys Flag Football League, where the San Marcos Rams went on to win the championship.

He not-so-patiently waited for Brianna to be big enough to hold a bat before getting her onto the field for T-ball and soccer at age three. He coached her first teams and continued coaching year after year until she reached high school. He loved every second of it and cared for every player as if they were his own.

Players he coached in the ’70s and ’80s continued to call him throughout his life, and while he was out and about, you could often hear someone call, “Hey, Coach!” He will be remembered as one of the most passionate coaches Southern Utah has ever seen.

Mike could tell you who played shortstop in the 1961 World Series, who was the goalie in a local high school soccer game in 1973, or who won the Kentucky Derby in 1989 without missing a beat, along with countless other sports statistics most people wouldn’t dream of remembering, or even care to. It didn’t matter which team or which sport. He held onto all of it. Watching him talk sports and statistics with his younger brother Timmy was truly a sight to behold.

An avid golfer and huge fan of Greg Norman, Mike earned the nickname “SHARK!” from his friends. He loved being at the Del Mar Racetrack, and there wasn’t a San Diego sports team he wasn’t fiercely loyal to, especially the San Diego State Aztecs, San Diego Padres, and Chargers.

His biggest fan on this earth was his little buddy, Trevor. Trevor’s eyes lit up every single time he saw his daddy. Trevor might not have been able to run the bases or score a goal, but Mike taught him how to do his “READY SET” stance and his “golf swing!” on command. No one could make Trevor belly laugh like Mike could, and every single morning they had a tradition of hanging out and playing together before getting ready for the day. Trevor loves his daddy beyond words.

In 2012, following a scooter accident, Mike suffered his first stroke, which eventually led to a forced retirement and the progression of vascular dementia. Not being able to work and provide for his family went against every fiber of his being.

But as life slowed down, he found new ways to keep himself busy: roaming the neighborhood to chat with and help neighbors, playing soccer with the neighborhood kids, and coming up with random, not-always-helpful projects around the house. With dementia added to the mix, Kit truly never knew what to expect each day.

It didn’t matter whether you knew Mike for two minutes or twenty years. Within the first minute of talking to him, you were bound to hear one of the never-ending jokes or stories he always had ready to go. And if no one was around, he was perfectly content having full conversations with his Amazon Echo.

He genuinely never met a stranger. He could talk to anyone and everyone, and he did. He would come home knowing the life story of the man he’d met at the gas station or with updates on the latest happenings around St. George.

Mike never said no to helping someone else. He carried the highest, most palpable energy, and he loved his family more than anything in the world.

And for a man who quoted ‘The Wizard of Oz’ almost daily, “We will miss you most of all.”

Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Cornelius and June; his brother, Richard; his sister, Mary Ellen; his father- and mother-in-law, Richard and Maxine Schirk; and his brothers-in-law, Mark and Keith.

He is survived by his wife, Kit; daughter, Brianna; son, Trevor; siblings, Neal (Kathryn) of Post Falls, Idaho, Tommy (Miriam) of Medford, Oregon, Cathy (Eddie) of Burney, California, and Timothy (Laura) of Gilbert, Arizona; cousin, Donald Healy of Sierra Vista, Arizona; brother-in-law, Claude Mahatoo of Oceanside, California; brother-in-law, Carl Carpenter (Lena) of Vista, California; sister-in-law, Cathey Carpenter of Springville, Missouri; and many nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle Mike.

Funeral services will be held Friday, August 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint George Catholic Church, 259 W 200 N, St. George, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the same location.

In lieu of flowers, contributions towards the funeral cost, interstate transportation to bring him home, and other expenses during this devastating transition would be deeply appreciated. Venmo: @briannarosia