Michael Adrian Gillenwaters

 Michael Adrian Gillenwaters, 55, a former resident of the Portsmouth/Chesapeake area, died Sunday, November 10, 2024, at his home in Bremerton, Washington.

 Michael was born in Milton, Florida on January 23, 1969, and was the son of William Elliott Gillenwaters and Marylou Smutny-Vonsee Gillenwaters of Chesapeake. A Catholic by faith, he was confirmed in the church at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Portsmouth.

 A graduate of the Apprentice School Newport News in 1999 where he received The Niels Christiansen Craftmanship Award, he worked at Newport News Shipbuilding as a nuclear welder and instructor until 2007. From 2007 through 2020, he was employed with Oceaneering as a welder and Project Manager. And from 2020 through 2024, he was a supervisor with IMIA (International Marine and Industrial Applicators) in Bremerton.

 Preceded in death by his brother Steven Gerard Gillenwaters in 2021, in addition to his parents, he is survived by his beloved wife, Miranda; three daughters, Alexandra, Catherine, and Christian; three step-sons, Ryan, Jarrett, and Braden; his granddaughter, Maya; and his mother-in-law, Diane.

 A funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the Church of the Resurrection, 3501 Cedar Lane, Portsmouth, and will be conducted by Father Anthony Morris. Friends are invited to visit with the family at a reception in the parish hall immediately following the service. The burial will be private at a later time on the family plot in the Town of Gatesville Cemetery, Gatesville, NC.

 Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.