Obituary of Michael Andrew Vasil

Michael A Vasil, known to many simply as Mikey V, passed away of natural causes at his home in Clewiston, Florida on September 27, 2023, at the age of 55. Mike leaves behind his loving wife of five years, Erica. He is also survived by his children, Amanda and Thomas of Walpole, MA, his brother Peter and his wife Rosemarie of Hollywood, FL, and many cousins. He was the son of Louise and the late Henry Vasil of Westwood, MA. He also leaves behind countless friends gained through a lifetime of experiences and adventures. Mike was born on May 2nd, 1968, the older of Henry & Louise’s two boys and grew up at the family home at 119 Landseer St in West Roxbury Massachusetts. Landseer Street served as home base to countless games of basketball and wiffle ball in the driveway. Those games would often spill over to Billings Field, the YMCA, St Theresa’s parking lot and even the Blanchards’ Liquors lot on Blue Law Sundays. Mike’s strength and skills would continue to play out in High School and the storied West Roxbury Men’s Softball League. Mike’s intelligence was maybe only surpassed by his larger-than-life personality. He attended school at St Theresa’s, Boston Latin, Catholic Memorial, Westwood High School, and Babson College. And while he no doubt could recall every lesson learned in class, Mike’s true education came from his many life experiences. Throughout his life, Mike took enormous pride in his Albanian heritage. One of his cooking inspirations was his Nana Vasil and he routinely admitted he could never make his spinach pie, lakror, as tasty as she could. Food was his original calling. A serial entrepreneur, he opened his first “Mikey V’s” pizza & sub shop in West Roxbury, at age 20. Mike was years ahead of his time in the pizza business, adding new technologies and equipment to streamline the entire process. A second Mikey V’s would eventually open in Norwood, also featuring his famous steak tips, boneless Buffalo wings, and “real veal”. Mike would move on to management roles at Papa Gino’s and Panera Bread. Other endeavors included a baseball card store and an ice cream shop. Mike also hosted radio and TV sports talk programs and was involved in other sports related enterprises. He was always ahead of time in his pursuits, and he served as a mentor to so many who worked with and for him. Eventually, the non-traditional path would entice Mike to make the move South. He made his way to Key West, FL, immersing himself in the restaurant and music scene of the Keys for many years. In 2018 Mike married Erica who remained his loving and devoted partner till his passing. Erica and her extended family welcomed Mike into their world and Mike’s visit to her native Philippines was a highlight of his life. Mike & Erica settled in Clewiston, FL, purchasing a farm where he found great peace in raising chickens, ducks, and goats. Despite spending the last decade in Florida, Mike never pulled up his Boston roots. He was an avid fan of the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots and followed politics like it was a blood sport. His daughter Amanda inherited his passion for Boston teams and his master chef skills. Mike also had a tremendous love for music, inspired by Roy Orbison, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Eric Church, and the Mo-Town greats among others. He wrote his own songs and taught himself to play the guitar and he was so proud to pass his musical chops on to his son Tommy, who is an accomplished drummer. Mike was a true Renaissance man who brought laughter, food, music, and love to all who were lucky to accompany him along on his journey. His infectious smile and zest for life will be greatly missed. Those who knew him, will never forget him. The family of Mikey V invite you to a Celebration of Life on Friday, October 20th, 2023, at the Irish Social Club of Boston at 119 Park St West Roxbury, MA from 6:30 to 9pm.