Obituary of Mike TARP

April 12, 1943 – Fejo, Denmark July 15, 2019 – Calgary, Alberta, Canada Mike was born in Denmark and immigrated to Canada in 1961. He settled in Toronto, where he met Margaret and they were married in 1970. Mike started in the automobile business in Toronto where he became very successful as a sales manager. He soon caught the attention of Chrysler Canada and in 1985 he was offered the opportunity to buy Renfrew Chrysler in Calgary. Mike and Margaret moved to Willow Park in Calgary, and Mike soon made Renfrew Chrysler one of the highest volume dealerships for Chrysler in Canada. In 1988 Renfrew moved to its present location and Mike started Alberta Jeep Eagle, at Renfrew’s former location, with son Steven at the helm. That dealership soon also became one of the largest volume Jeep dealerships in Canada. He was a regular member of The Presidents Club and The Chairman’s Club for Chrysler, in recognition of his ability to “Sell Cars”. His favorite saying was, “nothing happens until somebody sells something”. Mike and Margaret started to winter in Florida, where he became very active in thoroughbred horse racing. His crowning achievement was when his mare, Go Maggy Go, won the “Black Eyed Susan”, horse racings equivalent of a Triple Crown race for mares. Mike was an avid golfer, and a member at Willow Park Golf and Country Club, those who played with him can attest to his amazing ability of making those thirty foot putts, when money was on the line. He also took the opportunity to play at some of the top golf courses in North America, such as Pebble Beach and several TPC courses; he was a regular for several years at the PGA’s Las Vegas Open. Mike became very involved in the Willow Park Golf classic, one of the major charity tournaments in Calgary. He was active in many other charity golf tournaments, such as Between Friends, The George Reid, The Flames Foundation, The Stampeder Alumni, and numerous others. He would provide vehicles for Hole-in-one prizes, many of which were claimed by those lucky golfers. He was a regular at the prize tables at most tournaments he played at. Mike was very active in the community and with many different charities. He was a major participant in the Save our Stamps (SOS) campaign in the late 80’s, Recovery Acres Society, and numerous other charities. He was also the Bnai Brith Man of the Year in 1996, which recognized his commitment to the City of Calgary. In the late 2000’s he sold Renfrew Chrysler and enjoyed several years of retirement with Margaret, playing golf and enjoying his horses in Florida and Kentucky. Mike was one of those unique individuals who made instant friendships and was always fun to be around. He was larger than life itself. Mike is survived by his wife Margaret; son Steve; three grandsons, Michael, Tyler and Brendan. Mike is also survived by sister Inge; and nephew Jan in Denmark. Funeral Services will be held at Danish Lutheran Church () on Monday, July 22, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Reception to follow at the Danish Canadian Club () at 1:00 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.McInnisandHolloway.com. The family would like to thank Dr. Sian, Dr. G. Gelfand, and the nursing staff at Rockyview Hospital, Unit 47. They treated Mike with dignity, going above and beyond their duty.