Michael Graef, 74, of Cayucos, CA died on March 19, 2024. Michael was born on October 27, 1949, in Inglewood, California. He was the second of six children born to Mary and Charles Graef and grew up in Inglewood and Downey, California. He was a resident of the Central Coast for over 40 years.
Michael taught yoga at Morro Bay Yoga Center as well as other locations on the Central Coast and provided private yoga lessons. He was also a massage therapist, a wellness coach and was the sole proprietor of Clear Visions, a window cleaning business serving the Central Coast area.
His life experience and adventures were many and varied. Michael was a lifelong surfer and during his 19th year he lived and surfed with his brother Peter at Sunset Beach, North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. His lifelong spiritual development began with living and farming at Shiloh, a Christian commune near Beaverton, Oregon. Michael served briefly in the Coast Guard and was support staff at the Antarctic research station in McMurdo Bay. He worked as a care provider, a small businessman, a yoga teacher, window washer, and all-around handyman. Michael enjoyed reading, creating ceramic pots, was a lover of road trips, and an appreciator of sunrises and sunsets. He restored and maintained an Airstream trailer and lived off the grid with solar panels and gravity fed water for many years. He maintained a yoga and meditation practice of over 40 years and regularly expressed appreciation for his life. Michael was gentle, kind, humble and could be stubborn.
Though Michael lived and worked alone, he appreciated the generosity and friendship of his landlord Bill, owner of the property where Michael landed his Airstream trailer and helped on Bill’s property. In recent years, Michael enjoyed the company of his brother Chris and Chris’s family, which included Rhonda Graef, Rose, John, Georgia and Milo Meinke, and Matthew, Sarah, Noah and Fern Graef, all residents and lovers of the Central Coast.
Michael was loved and is deeply missed. He is survived by his siblings, Patricia, Peter, Chris, Joanne and Lizbeth, sisters-in law Rhonda and Polly, and brothers-in-law Jose and Doug, nieces, Rose, Hannah, Maddie, and Millie, nephews Matthew, Sam, Willem, August and Owen, and grand-nieces Fern and Georgia and grand-nephews Noah and Milo.
Michael was preceded in death by his mother Mary, his father Charlie, and his niece Sarah.
Michael received treatment locally for cancer and would want his caregivers to know of his appreciation. Steve Watt and his wife were his landlords in the last year of his life and were helpful and kind during Michael’s illness.
Michael’s surviving family is appreciative of all who cared for him, during his life, his illness and the care of his remains. Condolences can be sent to Chris Graef, 1810 W. Hwy 154, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 or emailed to mpat.graef@comcast.net.
Should you to make a donation – please make one to your preferred charity in Michael’s name.
if you would like to know date and location of a celebration of Michael’s life, please send your contact information to Patricia Graef at mpat.graef@comcast.net.
