Michael Ronald Greslie Was Born in Glendale, CA a Few Minutes After His Twin Brother, Thomas

Michael Ronald Greslie was born in Glendale, CA a few minutes after his twin brother, Thomas Donald Greslie. Mike always said that was the only fight his brother ever won, being the first born! They moved from Glendale in 1948 to Sun Valley with their sister Anne, where their father & mother, Arthur & Louise Greslie built their home. Mike attended, Vinedale Elementary school, Sun Valley Jr. High & JHF Polytechnic High. In High school the twins where very popular and Mike was asked to more proms and homecomings then most guys.

Mike went to work for General Motors Chevy Plant on Van Nuys Blvd. as a car painter. He started dating his then to be wife Cheryl Sand in 1965. Their common interest in horseback riding and the convenience of only living a few blocks apart, led to a beautiful relationship.

Mike was drafted into the Army in January 1967 where he signed up for 101st Airborne. After his basic training and jump school he got leave and came home and married Cheryl on September 24, 1967. He immediately returned to Fort Campbell, KY and within the week was on the US Navy Ship General Weigel on his way to Vietnam. While anchored in Subic Bay, on October 6, 1967, Mike saved a fellow soldier from drowning and later received an Award of the Soldiers Medal for Heroism. He was wounded in Vietnam twice and received two purple hearts. The second time he was wounded was February 1968, in Phan Tet. He was hit by an RPG rocket and while blacking out he heard a voice saying “If you want to live, do something”. This voice saved him. He raised his arm to wave down a passing jeep which rescued him. He spent two weeks in a hospital in Vietnam to stabilize him. He was transported to Japan where he stayed a month and had multiple surgeries on his legs. He was then able to come home where he spent a year at the Fort Ord Hospital. He was medically discharged due to his disability and retired from the Army in March of 1969. Mike never complained about his injuries. He went back to school at LA Valley College where he received his high school diploma in June 1970.

Mike went to work for a childhood friend building a camera truck in his garage in 1970, and his career in the production and postproduction entertainment industry began. In 1974 Mike was inside the largest sound stage at Samuel Golden Studio, working on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters show. The set caught on fire and Mike got knocked out. That’s when he heard that same voice say to him, “If you want to live, do something”. He was getting up off the floor in the dark smoke and saw daylight where a wall had blown out. He went for the light and jumped outside, his friends and coworkers rolled him to put out the fire. He went through many surgeries for skin grafts. Through all of this he did say that the pain of getting burned was worse than getting blown up in Vietnam.

After working on many location jobs all over the United States he moved inside to the post production after the fire. He realized life could be short and to live every day to the fullest so he worked his 40 hour weeks and spent the rest of his time with his family and friends. Mike Greslie has been a member of the AMA since the first year it was organized. His number is 62C; the C stands for Charter Member. He has been attending Bishop Mule Days since 1973 and he enjoyed participating in the events in the early years. He liked the fun events and won Musical Tires one year and the stands booed him because he beat a girl. He liked run ride & lead, and the cowhide race. He rode in the Mule Days Parade with the family. He also rode in the Rose Parade for two years with AMA. He has been trailering his family to Mule and AMA events since 1973, and always enjoyed visiting with the friends he made at these shows. Mike and his family packed into the Sierra’s for over 25 years and made some lifelong friends in the back country. We are lucky enough to live in an area of Los Angeles where we can ride out of our yard and into the Verdugo Foothills for miles; Mike spent many hours riding in those hills. He has been a member of the Equestrian Trails, Inc. since 1971; he rode on many organized trail rides and went across Death Valley with the Desert Rider’s and ETI many times. He enjoyed hunted on horseback in the Sierra’s, Colorado, and Utah.

He loved his family and spent his life giving them everything they needed and a lot of times just things they wanted. The vacation family is what people called us. He went on many trips and family vacations even after the kids grew up. Mike and Cheryl have 4 daughters; Jonnie, Miki, Jennielee and Megan, one son; Michael, two son-in-laws; Bodie Stroud and Billy Christ, one daughter-in-law Laurel Lane, and a future son-in-law Tyler Loguzzo. Mike loves his grandkids; Clayton, Bodie, Blue & Baylie. He enjoyed spending time with them and attending their events was a highlight of his. Everyone vacations together, hangs out together and finds any reason to have a family dinner. He spent a week or two at Lake Powell boating, skiing, and relaxing almost every year with family, and friends. They rode dirt bikes together. He was always willing to drive his girls to their horse and mule shows and sit and watch them. He definitely was a family man.

Mike, you will be greatly missed and remembered as a loving and caring Husband, Daddy, Grandpa , Brother, Uncle, Cousin, Best Friend, Friend, Mentor and Hero!