Mike, we’ll miss you at the game.

I lost a good friend several weeks ago with the passing of Mike Petrone.

He had been fighting cancer for three years.

I first met Mike when his daughter, Sonja, and my daughter, Holly, became best friends in kindergarten. They would each have sleepovers during their pre-teen years.

They also played softball together on an all-girls team started and coached by Mike. They were called the Thunder Bunnies.

Years later, Sonja and I met on a trip to Toronto to see Holly’s opening in the lead of the Broadway touring show, “Movin’ Out.”

As we watched Holly sign autographs after the show, Sonja said, “That’s so cool. My friend is a star.”

My wife, Diane, used to babysit Mike’s youngest son, Eric, when he was in diapers.

In 1978, Mike became active with the Fountain Hills Little League as a director, coach and sponsor. He was born in the state of New York. In 2003, he was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame for his athletic skills.

Mike loved baseball. We shared Giants spring training tickets for years at Scottsdale Stadium.

Mike also enjoyed attending Opening Day for the Arizona Diamondbacks every year with his family. It was a “national holiday” for the Petrone clan, and the tradition will continue.

He and I played on the same team in the Fountain Hills Men’s Softball League He played second and I was the first baseman. We made a pretty good double play combination.

One night, though, I made an error on a slow ground ball. It went between my legs.

I heard Mike say, “Hey Billy, better luck next time.” He was referring to Billy Buchner, who had done the same thing, costing the Boston Red Sox the World Series one year.

A graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and marketing. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

Mike proudly served his country from 1969 to 1974 as a fighter pilot for the United States Marine Corp. and completed his service as a captain.

Mike became active in his community because he loved it so much.

His leadership guided the Sunridge Foundation from its infancy through its transition to become the Fountain Hills Community Foundation. He served as president of the non-profit organization from 1997 to 2007. The organization raised and distributed more than one million dollars.

Always actively involved in the community, he was a member of the20th Anniversary committee, chaired the YMCA “exploratory” committee, was a member of the Fountain Hills Historical Society and he served as a volunteer for numerous special events in the community. He served as president of the Fountain Hills Civic Association from 1990 to 1992. He worked on one of the Town Hall committees. He was also active as a deacon and elder at the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church, served on the selection committee for the inductees named to the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame and served as a volunteer for numerous special events in the community. In 2007, he was inducted into the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame.

A Celebration of Life service for Mike will be held June 22, 2019, 10 a.m. at Scottsdale Bible Church.

For additional information, see his obituary on Page 4A.