Obituary of Michael Philip Bolger

December 7, 2025

Michael Philip Bolger was born in Savannah, Georgia at Hunter Air Force Base on March 6, 1958 to Mary (Calhoun) Bolger and John McCaffrey Bolger, who predeceased him. He was the fifth of seven children. He died in Manhattan at home on December 7, 2025, a day aptly marked with infamy. Michael was diagnosed only recently with multiple forms of cancer.

Like his Air Force brat brothers and sisters, Mike’s early life was peripatetic. He lived in Georgia, Texas, Florida and Virginia before graduating from Middletown (New Jersey) Township High School and moving to Massachusetts. Mike earned an Associate of Arts in Horticulture at Mass Bay Community College (1981).  At Rhode Island School of Design, he earned a BFA in Landscape Architecture (1983) and a Bachelor of Landscape Art (1984).

The next ten years after college were shadowed by the AIDS epidemic in New York and across the world. After college, Michael would sometimes open a photo album of friends from RISD days and as he turned the pages, say, “he’s dead, he died, he’s got the bug…” The immense loss by a horrible disease of so many friends was, for Mike, a lifelong trauma.  Mike would want us to say his name: Tim Forrest, his first love.

As a teenager, Mike drove for Checker Cab in Boston, a good job which he enjoyed. Later, after college, Mike’s first job in New York City was also in transportation as a steward for New York Air, a low-cost airline that, at the time, served free Flying Nosh Bags which were bagels and jam. He lived in a downtown loft with his sister Katy and her husband Armand and when home from a trip, he opened his New York Air suitcase exposing its contents of scores of mini-bottles and a dozen nosh bags. The loft flowed with artists, actors, filmmakers and friends. Those youthful days were duly misspent and a great time was had by all.

Thus began his lifelong love affair with New York City.

Michael worked for several landscape architecture firms before landing his dream job at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation where he worked for 30 years until his retirement in 2020. Michael loved Parks, and he loved parks. HIs life’s purpose was to build, improve and tend the parks of New York. At any given moment, he had his hand in multiple projects in all of the boroughs. He believed in the power of green spaces to better community and civic life.

Aside from the Parks Department, Michael kept busy with other people’s gardens, plantings, trees, rock walls, stone patios, statutory, and yard work.  He was most happy outdoors creating something beautiful for others to enjoy. For over 40 years, he created “award winning” gardens and landscaping at his sisters’ homes in Massachusetts and in New York “working like a farm animal.”  He was a volunteer gardener at the Gay Men’s Health Crisis roof garden. He volunteered with the City-As-School High School courtyard garden for years. Michael got trees put on NYC streets and built rock walls for friends on Shelter Island.

Anyone who knew Michael knows how much he loved his mother, and how much his mother loved him. They were both natural and talented artists. Mike would forever make his Mom laugh and blush with his teasing and compliments. While his mother would never admit to favoring one child over the other, Michael was his mother’s favorite. Period.

Michael was a practicing Catholic and was a member of St. Josephs Church in Greenwich Village. At work and in life, Mike took under his wing the meek, the downtrodden, the forgotten, the unfortunate and tended to dismiss the arrogant, pompous, and self important elites. Michael’s charity, service and care of others was the mark of true Christianity. He quietly volunteered throughout his life and, even as he died, he was caring for two elderly neighbors in his apartment building. Michael was a loving godfather to his nephew, Nicholas Matthews.

After retirement, Michael became a New York City tour guide. He was a walking encyclopedia of New York history and trivia. One freezing morning a friend took Mike’s tour and noticed he had dressed for the weather with flannel Christmas pajamas poking out from underneath his jeans. Michael was a pragmatist, he saw no reason to be embarrassed by his fashion choices. He was handsome enough to wear anything and stop hearts. Tour guides need to be prepared so it was hard to stump Mike about the City.  He found easy answers to the two questions most often asked by tourists, “Where were you on 9/11?” and “Does everybody in New York City smoke weed?”

He leaves behind his partner, Travis Hubbard, at home. In addition to his parents, Michael was predeceased by an older brother, John E. Bolger, and sister-in-law, Lorraine Bolger.  He is survived by his siblings, Patrick Bolger (and Nancy); Peggy Matthews (and Edward); Katy Bolger (and Richard Duggan); Maureen Woods (and Keith); and Paul Bolger. He also leaves his nieces and nephews, Joshua (and Amy) and Gaelen Bolger; Benjamin (and Sarayu) and Devin Bolger; Tess, Sarah and Hannah Woods; Nicholas Matthews; and Dixie Duggan. He also leaves his great-nephews, Jack and Sam Bolger and brand-new great-niece, Meera Bolger. Michael will be sorely missed by his brothers and sisters, nephews, nieces, great niece and nephews and countless friends whose lives and hearts were touched by his humanity, intellect, compassion and wit.

In lieu of flowers or to make a donation in Michael’s name, please give to the Coalition for the Homeless by going to https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/donate/

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