Hundreds gathered Thursday to celebrate the life and legacy of Marquette University president Michael Lovell.
Funeral services were held at the Church of the Gesu on Marquette’s campus, with a mass of Christian burial celebrated by Most Rev. Jerome Listecki, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The funeral mass was live-streamed and simulcast at the Al McGuire Center, for overflow attendees and media.
Lovell, who died on June 9 at the age of 57 following a three-year battle with sarcoma, had served as president of Marquette since 2014. He was the first-ever lay person elected to the role, which up until then had been held by Jesuit priests.
Lovell most beloved by many students and could frequently be seen at Marquette sporting events and around campus, whether he was teaching classes, serving up coffee and doughnuts in the library during finals week, attending late-night mass at St. Joan of Arc Chapel or out for a daily run — even on the coldest days of winter in the midst of his chemotherapy treatments, said Marquette University provost and acting president, Kimo Ah Yun, who delivered the first eulogy at Thursday’s funeral.
“If you were ever with him on campus, one of the bad things is you became his photographer because all of the students wanted pictures with him … That’s how much they cared about Mike,” said Ah Yun.
He told the story of meeting Lovell for the first time while interviewing for the role of dean of the Diederich College of Communication. Ah Yun and his family lived in California at the time and he wasn’t quite sure if uprooting and moving to Wisconsin was going to be the right move — that is, until the final round of interviews.
“In the very last meeting on the very last day, I met Mike. And I had the opportunity to talk to him and we bonded over Marquette’s mission and transforming the lives of students. And as I stepped out of his office, I remember calling my wife, and I told her this became very real. … He was the kind of guy that could get you to move your family over 2,000 miles across the country in order to work with him,” said Ah Yun.
He also spoke about Lovell’s success in fundraising for the university, including its recent $750 million Time to Rise capital campaign that met its goal six months ahead of schedule, ultimately raising $767 million — a milestone Ah Yun credited to Lovell.
“He was the chief fundraising officer, he was the face of the campaign. He didn’t want to be the face of the campaign, but he was the face of the campaign … because people trusted him so much. He knew how to create relationships,” said Ah Yun.
Under Lovell’s leadership, Marquette executed its $600 million campus master plan, which included constructing new buildings for the College of Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Athletic and Human Performance Research and The Commons residence hall. The Time to Rise campaign helped fund the construction of O’Brien Hall, the $60 million College of Business Administration facility that opened in January 2023. Other projects currently underway include a new wellness and recreation facility, slated to open in August, and the Lemonis Center for Student Success, a new hub for campus wide services, replacing a portion of the library.
“Mike was always a visionary,” said Ah Yun, noting his vision and drive to make a differnece spanned well beyond the confines of campus.
In 2018, Lovell and his wife, Amy, who is the founder of local nonprofit REDgen, embarked on a joint effort, called Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee, or SMIM, to address the adverse effects of trauma on the Milwaukee community. SWIM is a coalition of local nonprofit leaders, public officials, academics, social workers, health care professionals and others who have worked together to tackle the issue of generational trauma in an effort to create a healthier and safer city.
Amy Lovell, who, on behalf of her family, delivered the second eulogy, spoke more about her husband’s vested interest in understanding the detrimental effects of trauma. She explained Mike had grown up with parents who loved him but were at times unable to care for him properly due to their mental illness and alcoholism. Because of that experience, family friends, sports coaches and other trusted adults played significant roles in shaping Mike’s character, said Amy.
“Mike used mindfulness and Reiki to help heal his past traumas,” she said. “He always gave his best everyday with love. There was not judgement, he had true joy and peace that only comes through God.”
Amy and Mike met while in school at the University of Pittsburgh. They married in 1993 and had four children.
While his work and professional life were demanding, he prioritized his family and always made time for his children’s sporting events, plays and beach trips with extended family, said Amy.
“He did work a lot and he did miss a lot, but when we really needed him, he was there,” she said. “He somehow balanced it all.”
She also spoke about the role Mike’s Catholic faith played in his life and approach to leadership: “He never made a decision without praying or running to clear his head. He prayed for the people his decisions would affect and always found the good in every person he encountered,” she said.
He prayed the rosary daily, he and Amy prayed nightly prayers together, he participated in Eucharistic Adoration and mass as often as he could, said Amy, adding their marriage was “rooted in God.”
“Everything he did he sought to glorify God by using his gifts to the best of his ability,” she said.
Leading a faith-based, Jesuit institution aligned with who Mike was as a person, said Amy.
“He was a man for others and he never counted the cost,” she said.
She challenged those in attendance to live more like Mike.
“Don’t put off what you can do today. Don’t judge, because you don’t know what’s going on with someone else. Find the good, share your love, your smile, and don’t back down from a challenge.”
A full recording of Lovell’s funeral as well as his obituary can be found on the university’s remembrance page.
