Michael (Mike) Khourie
Michael (Mike) Khourie, 95, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home, The Tamalpais in Marin County, on Sunday night March 4.
Mike was born in Columbus, Ohio on May 10, 1922. His parents, Najib and Malvina Khourie, had immigrated to the United States from Lebanon just after the turn of the century and settled in Columbus. HIs father was a very successful merchant, having owned and operated a successful chain of clothing stores in the Columbus area, supported by his mother who was also a housewife. Mike’s two younger brothers, Ralph and William (Bill), initially followed his father into the family business, while Mike decided to go on a separate path. He graduated from Upper Arlington High School, where he was Class President, and then graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from Ohio State University. At the age of 21, spurred by the Pearl Harbor attack, Mike decided to voluntarily enlist in the US Navy to fight for his country in World War II.
He was sent to Norfolk, Virginia for basic training, and became a navigator and chaplain on the naval ship he served. Upon the end of the war, Mike used the GI Bill to attend law school and received his Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State. He decided to move to San Francisco, a city he first glimpsed from his navy ship under the Golden Gate Bridge, mesmerized by its beauty.
Mike was welcomed to San Francisco by a family friend, Bob Naify, and they quickly became roommates and lifelong friends. Mike starting practicing law thereafter, and over a 50 year career had a very successful legal career, almost entirely with firms he founded. Broad, Khourie, and Schultz was the firm he spent much of his career with, and he was an antitrust specialist who tried two cases at the US Supreme Court. When Mike wasn’t working, he was enjoying the SF Opera, golf, hiking, and world travelingall in the company of his family and close friends.
Mike touched many lives with his wise counsel, empathy, youthful energy, and most of all his zest for living life to the fullest. He was one of those select few who people of all walks of life gravitated towards. Mike is survived by his sons, Peter and Matt; his daughter-inlaw Carolyn; grandchildren Michael and Kimberly; and his brothers Ralph and Bill and their family members. He was preceded in death by his parents Najib and Malvina.
His family would like to sincerely thank all family and friends for their love and support, along with his caregivers and medical staff at his home in The Tamalpais. In lieu of flowers, Mike’s family asks that you make a donation to the San Francisco Opera Association in memory of Michael Khourie, at https://.sfopera. com/support/Donate/.
Mike’s family also extends an invitation to a Celebration of Life gathering for all friends, which will be held at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross, California on Sunday, March 11 at 11 am.