Mike was born in the Crooked Oak area of Carroll County, Virginia, not far from the small town of Hillsville. He was known to everyone back home as “Garnett”. The youngest of Delmon and Princess McGrady’s eight children, he was of Scotch Irish descent and was raised on a farm in the Appalachian highlands of Virginia. His father was a store merchant who was well known throughout Carroll County. It was during high school that he met the love of his life, Shirley Betsy York also of Hillsville, at the town theater. After high school, he went on to attend Emory and Henry College (1952 – 1955) and graduated with a BA in History & Political Science, with a minor in Business. It was while enrolled at Emory and Henry that Mike met a Marine recruiter and decided to join the Marine Corps after his college graduation. Mike proceeded to Officer Candidates School in Quantico Station, VA where he endured the rigorous physical and mental training needed to become a Marine officer. His active duty started at Quantico MCB on January 9, 1956. After completing his Marine training, Mike and Shirley were married on October 6, 1956 in York, South Carolina. He then went on to his first military assignment in Japan. His active duty assignments included: Camp Fuji, Japan; Okinawa, Japan; Camp LeJeune, NC; Quantico Marine Corps Base, VA; 29 Palms Marine Corps Base, California; Iwakuni, Japan; HQ BN 1st Marine Division, Danang, Vietnam; and Henderson Hall Navy Annex in Arlington, VA. During his military career, Mike held positions as a Commissary Officer, Company Commander, Supply Officer, Logistics Officer, Motor Transport Officer, Transportation Supervisor, and Basic Supply Administration Operations Officer. His numerous awards and decorations include: Bronze star with valor Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Staff Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Ribbon, and the Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation Ribbon. In 1967, Mike and Shirley settled in Springfield, VA where they raised their two children, Patrick and Sheila. After his retirement from the Marines, Mike worked as a Real Estate Agent in the Northern Virginia area. He was well-known in the real estate community and received numerous awards before retiring in 2000 after 27 years of service. After his retirement, he remained active in the local business community and assisted his colleagues in any way he could. In 2015 Mike lost Shirley, his wife of 59 years, after a series of health problems. A little over a year later he moved to Greenspring Retirement Village in Springfield, VA where he was an active member of the community. In August, 2020 Mike suffered a fall that led to an unexpected diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In September 2020 he chose to receive hospice care and on September 15, 2020 he joined his wife Shirley in Heaven. Mike will be remembered as a loyal family man and Marine through and through. He loved and cherished his wife, children and granddaughters, as well as the extended McGrady clan in Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. In his spare time, he enjoyed working on the McGrady ancestry, and was an avid reader and a big history buff. He enjoyed learning as much as he could about American and military history. The Marines that have passed on before Mike, welcomed him in heaven to be in the arms of his loving wife Shirley. Mike is survived by his son, Patrick McGrady (Dawn), daughter Sheila McGrady Baker (John), granddaughters, Julie Waiter, and Rachel Baker; his sister, Rhea Akers, and many nieces and nephews. We will carry a piece of him in our hearts forever. Semper Fidelis, Dad