Michael William McFerson passed away peacefully Sunday June 14, 2026 at the age of 87 in the presence of his loving daughter Shaunna and son in law Richard.

Mike was born and raised in Culver City, CA to Morris and Eunice McFerson. He is preceded in death by his parents, younger brother Tom, and older brother Gary. He is survived by his daughter Shaunna and her husband Richard Bandelian, his son Mike and his wife Deanna, along with his three grandchildren, Brady, Cambria, and Bryce.

Mike grew up loving the outdoors and playing sports. As a kid he was constantly exploring the open spaces near his home looking for wildlife with his brothers and friends. Anyone who knew Mike, knew he was a freak athlete. His father put up a basketball hoop in their backyard and he started mastering his craft at an early age. At Culver City High School he quickly became a leader on the court as they won the league, and he was named ALL CIF. After Culver City High, Mike moved in with is Uncle Frank and Aunt Grace and cousins, Tim, Steve , and Linda in San Bernardino. He played basketball for San Bernardino Valley College and he was named All Southern California First Team. His team traveled up to play Fresno City College and the Head Coach for Fresno State was in the stands. After that game, Coach Vandenburgh offered Mike a scholarship. Mike played 3 years for Fresno State from 1960-1962. He averaged 17.7 points per game and is ranked 8th all-time in Fresno State History. He was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

After college he married Shaunna and Mike’s Mom, Donna Strickler, who is well known and loved in the Fresno community. When his kids were young, he started taking them frog gigging, snaking, and even taught Shaunna how to grill steaks and shoot a rifle. He adored his daughter. He was very close to his younger brother Tom who would always include him in attending Fresno State Basketball games. Later, he picked up golf which became a passion for the rest of his life. He developed great friends while playing and loved watching the PGA. He was known as Grampy by his 3 grandchildren and was always so excited to see and interact with them as much as he could. He loved them dearly and had a positive impact upon their lives. His youngest grandchild, Bryce, wears #34 for the Maryland Terrapins Football Team in honor of him. Grampy would call his granddaughter, Cambria, almost weekly before his health started to decline. Grampy also loved connecting with Brady as they both shared a passion for basketball. Brady fashioned his jump shot after Grampy. Shaunna and Mike loved their Dad so much and appreciated his focus on authenticity and avoiding the love of money. He was known as a very cool down-to-earth guy who was always fun to be around.

For Celebration of Life information, please contact the immediate family personally.