Michael Joseph Duhart

December 2, 1946 – July 9, 2026

Michael Joseph Duhart, devoted father, husband, coach, and lifelong friend to so many, passed away on July 9, 2026, at the age of 79.

Mike was born on December 2, 1946, in Reno, Nevada, to Alice and Joseph Duhart. He grew up in Reno alongside his older brother Ronald and younger sister Cherie, attending Veterans Memorial Elementary School, Vaughn Middle School, and Wooster High School, where he graduated with the class of 1965. The friendships he made growing up in Reno lasted his entire life.

Life tested Mike early. As a boy he survived a serious battle with rheumatic fever, and in 1968 he survived a car accident while traveling in Mexico. Perhaps because of those close calls, he never lost his appetite for living. He loved skiing, classic cars, photography, music, and adventure, including a trip through Europe that he counted among the great highlights of his life. Above all, he loved having fun with the people he loved. Quick with a one-liner and happy to joke with anyone, even complete strangers, Mike kept things light through every chapter of his life. Above all, he just wanted everyone around him to have a good time.

Mike looked back fondly on his years working in the camera department at Kmart, a job that took him to Stockton, San Bernardino, and San Diego. In 1970 he enrolled at American River College in Sacramento. He returned home to Reno in 1971, worked for CB Concrete, and then joined UPS in 1975, where he worked for over 30 years before retiring in 2006.

But Mike's true calling was on the softball field. He began coaching women's softball in the early 1970s alongside his father Joe. Over the decades he coached numerous teams, including the Royals, Bandits, and Diamonds, and gave softball lessons for more than 30 years. His impact reached generations of young women, guiding them to state and national titles, All-American honors, hall of fame inductions, spots on the US national team, and to earn college scholarships. His goal was always to empower women to do everything the boys could do and more.

Mike's love of teaching went well beyond the diamond. Whether he was helping with homework, teaching skiing, boxing, driving, or how to throw the perfect spiral, he was happiest passing along what he knew, and prouder of the people he taught than of anything he ever did himself.

In 1984 Mike married Tara Kudrna, and together they raised three children: Jamie, Joey, and Derek. When his sister Cherie passed away, her son Peter (PJ) came to live with the family, and Mike raised him as one of his own. Mike loved being a father and said that it was his dream come true.

In 2001 he married Dorene Duhart, his loving partner of 25 years. Dorene filled his life with companionship and laughter, and in his final years she cared for him with unwavering devotion.

Mike is survived by his wife, Dorene Duhart; his children, Jamie Bartlett (Greg Bartlett), Joey Duhart, and Derek Duhart; his nephew Peter (PJ) Galera and great-nephew Ayden Galera, who knew him as Grandpa Mike; his stepchildren, Brittany Smith (Casey Smith) and Austin Johnson (Lesley Johnson); and his step-grandchildren, Luke and Amber, who knew him as Papa, a name he wore proudly. He is deeply loved and missed.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Walton's Funeral Home, followed by a celebration of life at Pub N' Sub at 2:00 PM. All who knew and loved Mike are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association.