Obituaries

Dr. Michael Currid, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, 79, of Riverside, PA, died on Monday, June 23, 2025. He was born on September 22, 1945, in Dublin, Ireland, the son of the late Patrick Gerald and Mary (O'Driscoll) Currid.

Michael was married to Aideen (O'Sullivan) Currid for 51 years. They met at a disco in June of 1972, an event that Aideen felt she was too tired to attend. Luckily her friend encouraged her, and so she went. Their meeting was, by all accounts, love at first sight for Michael. Two weeks later, he proposed.

Michael and Aideen were married on September 25, 1973. In the following years, Aideen was offered a position as an ER physician in a hospital in West Virginia. Despite the wild departure from life in Dublin and leaving the life they had always known, Michael encouraged them to just go for it, perhaps a maxim for how he lived much of his life. Michael and Aideen moved to the United States in 1976, first arriving in Parkersburg, WV and then Pittsburgh, PA before Danville, PA, where they lived for more than 40 years.

Michael believed in the constant pursuit of knowledge and learning and the hard work necessary to attain it. Throughout his life, he imparted this value to his children. Working a night job, he paid his way through his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University College Dublin. He went on to receive a master’s degree from West Virginia University and his MBA from Duquesne University. Michael obtained his PhD in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

But none of this was easy. Before he went to college, Michael worked for the Electric Supply Company, which controlled electricity for all of Ireland. His job was to shut the electricity off for delinquent payors. Michael found this job cruel and ridiculous and could not bring himself to do it. Instead, he would speak to the residents and try to work out an alternative payment plan. At some point, even with how he adapted his approach, he could not continue with this job.

Michael was a business professor at Susquehanna University, an entrepreneur and later a real estate investor.

But what Michael was most known for was his larger-than-life personality, which was cherished by all who knew him. He possessed a contagious joie de vivre and absurdist sense of humor, that would offend some at times and bring others to fits of hysterical laughter. He was known for his irreverent comments and antics like wiggling someone’s teeth to check if they were false, or checking someone’s hair for a toupee (which, at times, resulted in an embarrassing revelation). Yet no matter with whom he was speaking, Michael gave someone the sense that they were the only person in the room.

Michael loved to travel with Aideen, and they would go to places as far flung as Zimbabwe, Russia, the Middle East and Australia. Sometimes these trips would go slightly awry. One time, during a visit to St. Petersburg, Russia, they were attending the opera, the Marriage of Figaro. During Act 3, Micheal left unceremoniously. While Aideen assumed he had gone to the bathroom, by the time the opera was over, Michael was nowhere to be found. They were to fly back to the United States the very next morning. At the hotel, as Aideen weighed the options, Michael returned, happy as a clam. He explained that he found the opera boring and so went exploring the city and met a new friend whom he brought back with him.

Every year, Michael embarked upon transatlantic journeys aboard the Queen Elizabeth and then the Queen Mary to visit Ireland and to spend time with his family and friends who still lived there. He regularly crisscrossed America by rail to visit his children and grandchildren in California. Michael enjoyed western films, war documentaries and Columbo, the latter of which he loved to watch with his grandchildren. Michael was an insatiable reader of history books and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II and military aircraft. He could often be found sitting in his giant red armchair with his nose stuck in a large book, oblivious to all that was going on around him. Michael had a remarkable understanding of geopolitics, with family members regularly asking his views on current political and world events.

In his later years, Michael’s greatest joy was to spend time with his grandsons, whom he adored. He relished games of checkers and cards, make-believe spy craft and field trips to Knoebels, Ashland and Burger King for soft serve vanilla ice cream. Like Willy Wonka, Michael had an extraordinary ability to connect with younger generations, giving them lollipops and chocolates and telling them fantastical and original tales that brought laughter and delight that could be heard throughout the house. He sent packages to his grandchildren filled with maps, code names and missions to solve. He was known for his funny and endearing nicknames for Aideen, his children and his grandchildren.

In addition to his wife, Michael is survived by three devoted children; Elizabeth Currid-Halkett and her husband Richard of Los Angeles, CA; Evan Currid and his wife Gabriela Marquez of Santa Cruz, CA; and Sarah Currid of New York City, NY as well as five grandsons: Oliver, Liam, Ezra, Gavin, and Eliot. Michael is also survived by three siblings: Gerry Currid, Philip Currid and Nuala Tighe.

Michael was one of life’s great contributors and he will be missed by all who knew him. He would regularly tell a story – some made-up, others based on true events, and at times, it was hard to tell the difference. At the end of his tale, he would pause with dramatic effect and declare “Incredible! Unbelievable!”, words that would so perfectly describe Michael himself.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial to be held on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 12:00pm Noon, with the Father Kenneth Roth as celebrant. Friends will be received from 11:00 until 11:45am in St. Hubert’s Chapel. Burial will be private. The family will provide flowers.

Arrangements are under the direction of Visneski Funeral Home, Inc 42 West Mahoning Street Danville PA 17821. www.visneski.com.