Mike Best Obituary, Cottingham Cricket Club Mourn Mike Best
Mike Best Obituary, Death – It is with great sadness that I notify you that Michael Best died yesterday at the age of 76. Patti’s (Creagen’s) beloved husband, the couple had thirty happy years together filled with love and commitment. His parents, John and Winnifred Best, died before he was born, and he was born in Toronto.
Cathie Carter, his loyal sister who is married to Don Carter, his cousins Anne Hilmer and Betsy McDonald, and his nephews Ian Carter (and his wife Chrissie) and Colin Carter (and his wife Heather) survive him. Zheng Zheng Zhou (Charlie Bai), Julia Huang, and Karen (Van) Tu, all of whom he regarded as his own children at some point, will remember him fondly. A grandfather who adores and cares for Michael, Mellisa, Meaghan, and Victor.
After completing his studies, a significant number of graduate students all over the world with whom he maintained friendships would think warmly of him and remember him with affection. Michael had a great academic career at the University of Waterloo, where he was a member of the Combinatorics and Optimization Department of the Mathematics faculty for the past four decades. In addition to his two degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, Michael holds a doctorate. These qualifications were in addition to the two he got at the University of Waterloo.
He was the author of numerous research papers as well as three graduate student textbooks. He really liked his time overseas teaching in China, Italy, and Kuwait. Many of his students will remember him fondly for the necessary cookie break that he provided in each of his classes. Among his favorite interests were woodworking, the construction of stained glass lamps, and hours spent amusing Patti by playing his baby grand piano.