Filter by College:
Filter by Class Year:
’81
Michael B Batlan MBA’81
January 9, 1953 – March 20, 2024
Michael Brant Batlan was born on January 9, 1953, in New York City, to Richard S. Batlan and Suzanne Herman Halsey. He spent his childhood on Long Island, moving to the Bay Area as a young teen, ultimately graduating from Santa Monica High School, before moving to Salem, Oregon to attend Willamette University in 1971.
Michael’s years at Willamette provided him with the sound underpinnings of a happy life: a good education, football, and most importantly, lifelong friends—many of whom became like family. Graduating with an MBA in 1982 (as it turns out, in the same ceremony where his future wife Kathy would receive her JD), Michael served many years as a federal bankruptcy trustee and state court appointed receiver. He stepped in and solved problems, learning anew about each business as it came.
His avocation, however, was officiating football, starting while he was still an undergraduate, and continuing through years working games for high school, small college, the Pac-10, and the Pac-12, coming off the field as a referee in 2016. Still devoted to the game, he worked in the Pac-12 Command Center in San Francisco, coordinating with Instant Replay. Football gave him more friends to cherish, more problems to solve, and more experiences to enjoy.
On March 20, 2024, we lost the best husband, father, grandfather, uncle, son, and brother. Michael adored his daughters Celia (Russ) and Libby (Ramin), on whom he imparted his life’s wisdom and sense of humor, whether it was during untold hours on volleyball courts, on bike rides through backroads in the Willamette Valley, or on one of many family vacations. He cherished his grandchildren Graham, Jonah, Gillian, and Isabel; and he loved his nephew Aaron, his wife Sarah, and their children Madeline, Miles, and Grayson. Michael was predeceased by his parents and his sister Patricia and is survived by his sister Emily.