Michael O'Rourke
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Obituary for Michael O'Rourke

Michael O'Rourke died on Wednesday, April 18. Michael will forever be remembered by family, friends and community as a fun loving man. Michael was a resident of Steiner Ranch in Austin for the past 14 years. With his wife, Michele, he raised his twin boys Reid and Daniel and together they became an integral part of the neighborhood. Michael was famous for his holiday parties where he transformed his house into a celebration of Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. He thrilled his children and neighbors with a mind-boggling array of engineered massive toys that spread joy and smiles.
Michael was born in Maryland, grew up in California and Oregon, and attended Clemson University in South Carolina where he majored in computer science. A summer job at Los Alamos National Laboratory led him to his first job with a software startup. Adobe purchased that firm and Michael moved to California where he enjoyed his work, the mountains, the ocean, and his motorcycle. He met Michele there, fell in love and married in 1997.
When they wanted to begin raising a family, Michele suggested Texas where she had attended Trinity University in San Antonio and the UT Austin for graduate school. The high tech city of Austin beckoned them both. Steiner Ranch was their dream where they build two houses over the years. Michael was a landscaping perfectionist, setting each stone, angling each tree, and somehow maintaining green when the rains did not fall.
Professionally he was recognized at Adobe as a key employee and contributed magnificently to their software products. If you have a computer, somewhere it has code that Michael wrote.
Michael was a polymath, a man with interests and skills that surprised and bewildered us. He was a writer, and in college wrote the most wonderful macabre stories. He had the great sense to use a pseudonym.
At Clemson, in his second year, he wanted to buy not a car but a scooter. His father said absolutely no, and the matter was never discussed again. Michael bought the scooter and on campus his name was Scooter. On graduation day, when his name was called, Michael O'Rourke, he stood to get his diploma. Many of friends were startled to learn that Scooter had another name.
During his time at Clemson, Michael was a devoted outdoor enthusiast, specializing in kayaking. He taught kayaking skills to fellow students and went on expeditions in the mountains of the Southeast. He also took up spelunking in the caves carved by those streams.
Michael's cooking skills were exceptional. He began cooking his own breakfasts when he was seven. Not cereal in a bowl, but French toast. In the Steiner homes, he built outdoor barbeque centers with grills and refrigerators that were always in use. He was a natural chef who did not need to follow a recipe. Give him some ingredients and he could follow his heart. His family loved that Dad cooked.
Michael's sense of humor and good will was endless. He never seemed older than his boys. The three of them would sit and play. It began with those first steps and rolling balls and just continued until they were writing programs together, kicking soccer balls, and soaring on their outside trampoline. The kid in Michael never went away. And that bright spark will be remembered and treasured by all who knew him.
Michael leaves behind his wife Michele and his twin sons Reid and Daniel. He is loved by his mother Pam, father Brian, sister Kelly, Pam's husband Gary, Brian's wife Suzen and a host of other family, friends, and colleagues. Michael is irreplaceable.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to a fund established for Daniel and Reid can be made at www.supportorourkefamily.blogspot.com

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