Obituary of Michael Earl Batchelder

Michael Earl Batchelder (also known as "Mike") passed away on April 7, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 86 years old. He was born June 4, 1939, in El Campo, Texas. Raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Michael later attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he met his first wife, Sharon Kay Boles. Michael and Sharon moved to Fort Worth, Texas, in the early 1960s, where he worked as an aeronautical engineer at General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin, and they raised their son, Mark Wayland Batchelder. After Sharon's passing, Michael renewed his friendship with his high school girlfriend, Mary Anne Dozier Bartus, and they married in Fort Worth in 2017 and enjoyed traveling together.

Michael was well-respected by his engineering colleagues. He designed structures and monitored flight testing for the F-111, F-16, F-35, and other planes. He was a private pilot who owned and flew his Cessna 177B Cardinal for several years. He was a car enthusiast who had numerous cars and trucks over the years. He enjoyed camping and being outdoors, driving with many different campers and travel trailers to national parks and campgrounds. He had a lifelong love of woodworking and carpentry, making furniture and other wooden projects in high school, additions to his house with his young son Mark, and delicate woodcarvings in his retirement years. Michael also loved to travel, and his favorite place to visit was Scotland, which he visited many times.

Michael is preceded in death by his father, Don Reuel Batchelder, and his mother, Corinne Ernestine Chiasson Batchelder, and by his first wife of 54 years, Sharon Boles Batchelder.

Michael is survived by his wife, Mary Anne Bartus Batchelder; his son, Mark Wayland Batchelder and wife Faeda of Fort Worth; brother C. Wayne Batchelder and wife Valerie of McKinney; and granddaughter, Laena Grace Batchelder Aspen and wife Jem of Broomfield, Colorado.

Memorial Service: 2:00 PM Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Martin Thompson & Son Funeral Home Chapel, 6009 Wedgwood Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76133.