CA - Michael L. Hubbard

February 7, 1952 - February 26, 2026

Michael L. Hubbard passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026, at his home in El Dorado Hills, California, after a nine-year battle with cancer. Born in Seattle to Gerald and Irene Hubbard, Mike grew into the kind of man people respected and relied on. He attended the University of Montana on a basketball scholarship, graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Business and completed an MBA at Washington State University.

But if you asked Mike, those would be just the "opening stats." The real story was how the game was played. He built a distinguished career as a Partner with PwC and Deloitte. Mike approached his work the way he approached everything in life—with intelligence, discipline, relentless preparation, and a deep belief in people. He demanded excellence of himself and inspired it in others. He believed in you before you fully believed in yourself. He took pride in mentoring young professionals and standing beside colleagues and friends when it mattered most.

He was fiercely competitive. He loved sports, especially baseball, basketball, and football. He loved sports cars and anything with an engine. He loved a well-delivered joke and the kind of laughter that made your stomach hurt.

Mike did not just speak in sports metaphors. He thought in them. Life was strategy, timing, discipline, and heart. "We are not going to punt on this one." "Game over." What sounded like humor was often philosophy. Stay steady. Make the smart play. Do the next right thing. Never give up.

And he never did.

For nine years, Mike battled cancer with the same competitive fire that defined him everywhere else. He set goals constantly. Trips to take. Seasons to watch. Grandchildren to see. He focused on the path in front of him, not the diagnosis behind him. Athletes often say championships are not about hoisting the trophy, but about the road it took to get there. Mike understood that.

And what mattered most to Mike was his loving wife and best friend, Barbara. Their love was the great championship of his life. Through every season, especially the hardest one, they stood side by side.

He was Grandpa and Papa Mike to Hailey and Zoey, roles that softened him in the best way. His pride in them was endless. He held on long enough to see his boys become fathers and the men he had raised them to be, and to see his granddaughters gathered around him. When he knew they were there, he rested peacefully, surrounded by love.

Those who knew Mike best describe a man with a boundless heart and generous spirit. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of man. He is preceded in death by his father Gerald and brother Terry and survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Barbara; sons Joe and Pete; daughter-in-law Annie; granddaughters Hailey and Zoey; mother Irene; sister Melanie; and sister-in-law Kelly and her sons Jason and Cade.

Mike would insist on stories told proudly, and laughter through tears. The point was never the final score—it was how you played the game.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the El Camino Hospital Cancer Center or to the University of Minnesota Foundation in support of Multiple Myeloma Research.