Michael R. Willard
Nov. 21, 1946 - Oct. 12, 2017
On October 12 2017, Michael R. (“Mike”) Willard died of complications of pneumonia at his home in Palo Alto, CA. Born November 21, 1946 in North Hollywood, CA, Mike was the first child of Hugh and Mary Sue Willard. He attended Harvard School in North Hollywood, where he participated on the wrestling team and was accorded the honor of being selected as a Prefect and named Co-Captain of the Harvard football team. Mike enrolled at Stanford University, where for three years he played Varsity Football. Mike joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity as a sophomore, and found himself embraced by a high achieving, group of true student athletes, many of whom became life-long friends and business associates.
In football, Mike was an offensive guard, known by his teammates as a relentless and punishing blocker and locker room jester. As a starting guard in his senior season, he had taken a veteran leadership role in a young offensive line, when he suffered an early season knee injury, ending a promising year.
Following graduation in 1969 with a BA in Psychology, Mike spent five years as a management consultant in Southern California, before enrolling in the Stanford Graduate School of Business, from which he received his MBA in 1978. Mike’s career focused on industrial real estate development. Hired as the Northern California Regional Manager of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes (CC&F) in 1980, he rose rapidly in positions of increasing responsibility as Western Regional Manager and then President of CC&F nationwide, which at that time was, among the oldest, largest and most respected, national, industrial park development firms.
In 1993 Mike became affiliated as a principal, with Freestone Properties, a Menlo Park, CA based, commercial development company. There, by virtue of his uncanny sense of market trends, widespread industry relationships and highly personable character, he is credited with fostering a remarkably successful and long running record of highly profitable development projects, extending from Northern California to Hawaii. Mike retired from Freestone in 2010.
Mike would readily acknowledge that of his life’s good fortune, the most outrageous of all was in meeting and marrying Robin Ciochetti of Portola Valley in 1985, with whom he shared to his last breath, the most enduring of loving relationships. Of their two children reared in their Portola Valley home, Kelly age 20 and John 16, Mike took justified pride. Each of these remarkable kids excels both in the classroom and in sports, with the same intensity and desire as their father. Kelly is thriving as a senior at Vanderbilt and John, a junior on the varsity football team at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, CA, is following in Mike’s footprints as a tenacious, starting fullback and middle linebacker.
Mike is remembered as a brilliant intellect, warm and loyal friend, loving husband and father. He was a man of great character, absolute integrity, high values and unique human insight. Quick witted with a hair trigger laugh and instinct for humor, Mike was the best of good company, easy to like and as willing to poke fun at himself as at others. Of Mike’s many passions, he most enjoyed beach time at his home in Hawaii, golf with his pals at Sharon Heights CC, and fishing the rivers of Southwestern Montana with his old pal Marty.
Mike is survived by Robin Willard, his wife of 28 years, son John, daughter Kelly and his brother Kent Willard of Southern California. A celebration of Mike’s life is planned for the afternoon of November 12 (1:00-5:00 PM) at the home of Marty and Anita Brill in Atherton. Please RSVP via email to <JMB@freestoneprop. com>.