Michael Adelman

Michael “Mike” James Adelman passed away at home on October 24, 2024.
Mike was born in Hood River, Oregon on October 19th, 1966. He was the oldest
of five children of James (Jim) and Carol (Beilke) Adelman.
He was raised in the Brooks area, attending Hazel Green and Brooks Elementary
schools. He graduated from Gervais High School where he met his high school
sweetheart, Julie Hults. Mike and Julie married in 1986 and welcomed their first
daughter, Andrea, in 1989. He stayed busy, attending college at Oregon Institute
of Technology and Chemeketa Community College, making it work by taking
Andrea to classes with him. In 1991 and 1992, they welcomed daughters Alicia
and Ashley, respectively. From 1994 until 1999, Mike and his family resided in
Northern Louisiana, where he continued his education in mechanical design at
Louisiana Tech while working for Willamette Industries as a Design Draftsman.
It’s likely some of his work on the Simsboro facility still stands to this day.
The family returned to the Salem area in 1999, where they helped with Carol’s
passion project: Adelman Peony Gardens. Mike was proud to create their first
website, and took pride in the family business, engaging Julie and his girls to
help Carol as well.
From an early age, Mike enjoyed tinkering and building things. In 1977, at the
age of 10, Mike competed in Soap Box Derby at Bush Park, winning first place
and then raced at Nationals in Akron, Ohio. At age 16, he hand-built a wood-strip
canoe from Sitka Spruce.
Early in his life, Mike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Instead of letting this
slow him down or interfere with his life, he worked hard to find balance. He
focused his early efforts on understanding his diagnosis and maintaining stability
for himself and his family. He mentored others on their rights. Despite his
diagnosis, he went on to earn two Associates Degrees from Portland Community
College in 2014 - General Studies and Computer Information Systems – Network
Admin.
He was diagnosed in 2017 with early onset of Parkinson’s disease, which greatly
affected him in the final years of his life. One of his many dreams was to help
others through gardening.
He is survived by his parents, Jim and Carol Adelman, daughters, Andrea Davis,
Alicia Armentrout, and Ashley Adelman; his ex-wife Julie Adelman; grandsons
Julian and Cooper; his siblings David Adelman, Steven Adelman, Susan Ortiz,
and Christy Butler and a large extended family.
A memorial to honor his life will be held on November 23, 2024 at 12:00 at Keizer
Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, Mike’s daughters request donations be made
to Disability Rights Oregon ( https://www.droregon.org ) on his behalf