In a life of both struggles and happiness, Burlington man’s shining light was the unconditional love of his daughter
Michael Alexander Loyer of Burlington, Vt., died suddenly on January 9, 2021, in a tragic early-morning fire that also took the life of his neighbor and friend, Henry Burawa. Michael was born on November 2, 1989, in Burlington, Vt., the son of Michael Bradley Loyer and Sandra Racine Bradshaw. He graduated from South Burlington High School with the class of 2008. Throughout his childhood, Michael was an active, precocious boy, always outside and exploring. He loved the outdoors, especially camping and fishing with his father and diving at his favorite swimming holes. He was an enthusiastic music lover, which led him to pick up the guitar. He also had a natural talent for both snowboarding and photography — an art form he had recently rededicated himself to and had received a small scholarship to study. His hopes were to use photography and screen printing to showcase his longtime love of graffiti art and culture. He also had a lifelong passion for history, politics and social sciences. Michael felt very fortunate to have traveled throughout the U.S. and to have visited countries such as South Africa, Ecuador and Jamaica. Those travels reinforced his strong belief in advocating for those in need — for close friends and strangers alike — by lending a hand or sticking up for the underdog whenever he could. Mike was a hard worker who was good with his hands and hated to ever be late. He gained valuable skills from and took particular pride in his time spent working at local businesses Dynapower in South Burlington and Logical Machines in Charlotte, as well as working beside his father and uncle at Trenchless Technologies in South Burlington. He truly appreciated those opportunities. Unfortunately, for much of his time, Michael was also fighting for his life. What started as innocent experimentation in middle school grew into a repeated pattern of substance use, which later became a much deeper dependency after the tragic death of his father in a construction accident in 2011. Michael’s heartbreaking struggles with addiction and the loss of his father led to many years of pain, mixed with wonderful stretches of hope. His shining light through it all was the unconditional love of his only daughter, Saedi, and his parents, Sandra and Michael. Their belief in him helped him see what might be possible. With a six-foot-seven frame, he could be an imposing figure ...…
In a life of both struggles and happiness, Burlington man’s shining light was the unconditional love of his daughter
Michael Alexander Loyer of Burlington, Vt., died suddenly on January 9, 2021, in a tragic early-morning fire that also took the life of his neighbor and friend, Henry Burawa. Michael was born on November 2, 1989, in Burlington, Vt., the son of Michael Bradley Loyer and Sandra Racine Bradshaw. He graduated from South Burlington High School with the class of 2008. Throughout his childhood, Michael was an active, precocious boy, always outside and exploring. He loved the outdoors, especially camping and fishing with his father and diving at his favorite swimming holes. He was an enthusiastic music lover, which led him to pick up the guitar. He also had a natural talent for both snowboarding and photography — an art form he had recently rededicated himself to and had received a small scholarship to study. His hopes were to use photography and screen printing to showcase his longtime love of graffiti art and culture. He also had a lifelong passion for history, politics and social sciences. Michael felt very fortunate to have traveled throughout the U.S. and to have visited countries such as South Africa, Ecuador and Jamaica. Those travels reinforced his strong belief in advocating for those in need — for close friends and strangers alike — by lending a hand or sticking up for the underdog whenever he could. Mike was a hard worker who was good with his hands and hated to ever be late. He gained valuable skills from and took particular pride in his time spent working at local businesses Dynapower in South Burlington and Logical Machines in Charlotte, as well as working beside his father and uncle at Trenchless Technologies in South Burlington. He truly appreciated those opportunities. Unfortunately, for much of his time, Michael was also fighting for his life. What started as innocent experimentation in middle school grew into a repeated pattern of substance use, which later became a much deeper dependency after the tragic death of his father in a construction accident in 2011. Michael’s heartbreaking struggles with addiction and the loss of his father led to many years of pain, mixed with wonderful stretches of hope. His shining light through it all was the unconditional love of his only daughter, Saedi, and his parents, Sandra and Michael. Their belief in him helped him see what might be possible. With a six-foot-seven frame, he could be an imposing figure ...…