Michael “Mike” Naylor
Michael “Mike” Naylor, 79, of Bemidji, Minnesota passed away on October 15, 2026, at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 23, 2026 at New Salem Lutheran Church, Turtle River. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.
Mike was born in Bemidji to William “Chub” and Dona Mae Naylor. He attended Bemidji High School, where he played on the inaugural Lumberjacks varsity hockey team during the 1963–1964 season, scoring the very first goal in the program’s history. After graduating high school, he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, where he played music as a member of The Pawnbrokers, a band later inducted into the North Dakota Rock Country Hall of Fame.
He served in the U.S. Army Security Agency as a computer repair technician, stationed in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and in Ethiopia, and was a member of the Pinewood American Legion. Following his military service, Mike worked at his family's business, Naylor’s Electric in Bemidji. He was active in local youth sports, volunteering for more than 25 years with Babe Ruth League Baseball and supporting Bemidji Youth Curling.
Music was one of his passions. He later converted a building on his property into a recording studio where he produced recordings for local musicians, jammed, and built guitars. He was active with Headwaters School of Music & the Arts as a board member, helped run open mic nights, and performed regularly around the area.
Mike formerly served as a Synod-Authorized Minister for Trinity Lutheran Church in Debs and Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church in Puposky, as well as providing pulpit supply for various area congregations and volunteering with chaplain duty at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
Mike is survived by his children Alison (Beau) Seeger and William (Michelle) Naylor; his stepdaughter Marya Johanneson; his brother Robert; and his grandchildren Rhett Seeger, Hakon Naylor, Signe Naylor, Sammy Asher, Anthony Asher, and MK Asher; as well as several cousins and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, William “Chub” and Dona Mae Naylor.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to New Salem Lutheran Church, Headwaters School of Music & the Arts, and the Bemidji Community Food Shelf.