Michael "Mike" David Saunier

Michael “Mike” David Saunier, 58, passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 6, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. Mike was born April 26, 1968, in Riverside, California, to Dwight Saunier and Evelyn Railey. The son of an Air Force family, he spent much of his childhood living around the world—perhaps helping shape one of his most defining qualities: Mike never met a stranger. Mike proudly served for 18 years with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, retiring as a Deputy Sheriff. During his tenure with the department, he was injured in the line of duty, earning him the Star of Texas, Purple Heart, and Life Saving Medal for his sustained injuries and his heroic actions of saving the lives of those also involved. Behind the tough exterior, Mike was a giant softie and an even bigger goofball. He loved making people laugh, helping anyone he could, and making friends everywhere he went. He enjoyed woodworking, growing crepe myrtles, making hot sauce, cooking, watching World War II documentaries, spoiling his dogs with snacks, and attending classic rock concerts with his brother, Paul. He was also famously particular about cleanliness and organization and maintained a refrigerator stocked with enough Ginger Ale to survive nearly any emergency. Above everything else, Mike loved his family. He shared nearly 16 years of marriage with his wife, Mandi. When he married Mandi, he gained two daughters, but the word “step” never had a place in Mike’s vocabulary. Hannah, Kaley, and Addison were simply his girls, and he loved them fiercely. Family to Mike was always bigger than biology.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight and Evelyn Saunier.

He is survived by his wife, Mandi; daughters and sons-in-law, Hannah and Nathaniel Aleman, Kaley and Branden Watson, and Addison and Cole Goswick, all of Lubbock, TX; grandchildren Parker Aleman, Margo Watson, Isla Watson, and Denver Aleman, who affectionately knew him as “Sheriff”; and his older brother, Paul Saunier and wife Elisca, of Fort Worth, TX.

Mike spent 58 years making people laugh, helping others, loving his family, and leaving the people he met better for having known him. His life was far too short. But it mattered. He mattered.

A celebration of Mike’s life will be held October 17 at 1:00 p.m. at Social House, 5511 126th Street # 311, Lubbock, Texas, 79424. Cremation services are under the direction of House of Angels Funeral Home.