In this first installment of a multi-part tribute series, Joe Stopulos sits down with his brothers Pete and Tim to remember their father, Mike Stopulos, who passed away recently and left an outsized mark on his family and community.

The brothers trace Mike's story from the beginning: a free-range 1950s and 60s childhood in Davenport, Iowa, where kids rode a school bus ten miles out to the Davenport Country Club to golf unsupervised all day. They talk about his unlikely walk-on stint on the University of Iowa football team, and the famously fast romance with their mother — engaged just six months after they met while he was coaching her women's softball team.

From there, the conversation moves into the pillars of Mike's life: raising six kids born between 1980 and 1990, an unwavering commitment to Catholic schooling, daily faith, never missing Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation, and consistent family dinners despite a demanding career. The episode also covers his entrepreneurial path — from Lindsey Digital Prepress, to opening Bixby's Bagels and Malley's Pizza, to launching a second career in employee benefits consulting at age 49 alongside Andy Butler, a business he worked in until his final days.

The episode closes with a glimpse of the overwhelming turnout at Mike's visitation and funeral — a line that ran hours past its scheduled end — as a testament to the life he lived. Part two of this tribute series continues next week, diving into the specific lessons in faith, work, and fatherhood that Mike passed down to his sons.

This episode is brought to you by Construction Professionals. Learn more at https://www.cpcustomhomes.com/

Man Up airs on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network. Listen to more at https://www.iowacatholicradio.com

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Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:

• Be Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce Riebe
• Be Not Afraid in Spanish with Fr. Fabian Moncada
• Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson
• Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen
• Man Up! with Joe Stopulos
• Sunday Dive with Katie Patrizio
• The Catholic Morning Show with Dr. Bo Bonner
• The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick Smith
• The Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud Marr
• Faith and Family Finance with Gregory Waddle

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