Blume, Mike Left us suddenly on June 17th. Mike was born on January 29, 1952 to the late Harold and Elizabeth (Newberger) Blume. He grew up on a farm in the Herman MN area and graduated from Herman High School in 1970. Mike enlisted in the Army and served 2 years before coming back to Herman to farm with his brother. During his teen years, his Father and Uncle introduced him to aviation. On May 4, 1973 he earned his private pilot rating and his passion for flying took him from the farm into a career in aviation. Mike enjoyed charter flying and instruction for 10 years before taking a leap and moving on to Air Traffic Control. Mike served as an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA for over 24 years in Bismarck ND and Farmington MN. After retiring in 2006, he went back to his passion and continued his flying career in charter and corporate operations flying everything from corporate jets to his beloved piper cub on floats. His love and passion for aviation were well known and he inspired many people to follow careers in Air Traffic Control and flying. Mike was always an instructor who taught safety first and foremost. Mike lived in Lakeville MN for most of his adult life with his family and recently moved to Burnsville. He was a devoted father to his son Alex, whom he always called his "Little Aviator". He is survived by wife, Colleen, and their son Alex, his brothers and sisters Virgina (Pete) Summers, Joe (Susan) Blume, Walter (Darlene) Blume, Kathy (Keith) Bacon, Paul (Beth) Blume; Father David Blume, and Pat (Greg) Knight and a multitude of nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at White Funeral Home, 12804 Nicollet Ave, Burnsville, Minne- sota 55337 on Tuesday, June 24, 2014. Gathering of family and friends will be from 4-6 pm, with a memorial service and sharing of memories at 6 pm. The family asks for those in attendance to wear their favorite aviation / flying shirt in honor of Mike. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Charles Catholic Church in Herman MN on Saturday June 28, 2014 at 11 am with burial immediately following the funeral. A luncheon and celebration of life will be held in Herman after the services. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred. Condolences: whitefuneralhomes.com White Funeral Home Burnsville 952-894-5080