Michael George "Mike" Nugent

Michael George Nugent, known to all as Mike, passed away peacefully at his home in Brevard, North Carolina, on March 5, 2026, at the age of 73 following a courageous battle with cancer.

Born on May 11, 1952, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to George and Sue Nugent, Mike was the eldest of seven children. Raised in Edina, he graduated from Edina High School in 1970 and attended St. Cloud State University. As a boy he served as an altar boy, played hockey and football, and skied. He carried a lifelong love for the outdoors, enjoying golf, hunting, fishing, and NASCAR. Father-and-son hiking trips along the Superior Hiking Trail on the Minnesota-Canada border remained cherished memories, lessons first learned in the Boy Scouts.

In 1981, Mike married the love of his life, Kim Cheney, in Elyria, Ohio. Together they raised three children: Bryon of Naples, Florida; Kelly and her husband Brittany of Brevard, North Carolina; and Marshall and his wife Tayler of Wilmington, North Carolina. Beyond family, Mike’s greatest passion was his dogs. A longtime member of the Central Minnesota Retriever Club and later the Benton Retriever Grounds, he devoted countless hours to the care of club property and the running of trials and tests. He served willingly in every role needed—bird thrower, steward, stakes chair, marshal, and judge—while forming deep and lasting friendships in the retriever community.

Mike built a respected career in the powder coatings industry, where his technical knowledge helped develop some of the largest and most innovative systems in the field. Easygoing and quick to laugh, he was a gifted storyteller, a faithful provider, and a man whose strong faith and warm nature drew people to him instantly. He is survived by his wife Kim, his children and their spouses, his beloved Black Lab Dox, his siblings Debra Nugent Stickly, Mark (Kim Rae), David, Daniel (Marypat), and Martha (Scott) Shaw, his mother-in-law Mary, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Mary, his father-in-law Robert, and the many four-legged companions who shared his life.