Mike Rail was born Sept. 19, 1951, in Melrose Park, Illinois to Vivien Powers and Donald Rail. He was raised by Vivien and Jim Smith. He entered into eternal rest on July 5, 2021, after an extended battle with stage 4 prostate cancer. Mike is preceded in death by his parents Vivien and Jim; four sisters, Teresa Hawks of Mont., Diane Coleman of Ill., Trudy Harmon of Az. and Jimmie-girl of Ca.; and one grandson, Johnathan Holliday of Az. He is survived by his significant other of 16 years, Carol Montgomery, who stayed by his side and cared for him during his long and challenging medical procedures. He is also survived by his brothers Jimmy Smith of Wa. and Wess Smith of Tx.; half-brothers Tim and Mark Rail of Chicago Ill.; two daughters Dawn (Veneta) Molina and Shelly Rail of Globe, Az.; Christina Smith and Debra Espinoza, who were taken in as family, and 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Mike moved to Globe in high school, where he ultimately married Veneta Savage and had two daughters, Dawn and Shelly. He began working at Inspiration Copper Mine as a pipefitter and later worked at DJ’s for many years, and then retired from Bowen. Mike enjoyed riding his Harley, exploring new places, camping with family and friends, and spending quality time with his loved ones. This was especially important to him. Mike was known for being a handyman; he could fix anything. He could also name every plant or tree that existed in wildlife. He will be dearly missed!
Memorial and tribute to Mike will be held on Sept. 17-19, 2021, at Roosevelt Lake as a camping trip. For anyone interested, please contact his daughter Dawn Molina at 928-961-6670 or at azmzthang12@gmail.com.
Thank you for knowing and loving our dad.
Assisting the family; Lamont Mortuary of Globe.
