Michael James Aheron was born October 14, 1951 in Roanoke, Virginia, and died at his home August 13, 2004 of ALS. In 1970, Mike graduated from Northside High School, where he was president of his freshman, sophomore, and junior classes, and the student body. His high school friends nicknamed his family's beef cattle farm in the Red Brush section of Craig County, the "Funny Farm." He was an Eagle Scout and member of the Board of the Blue Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mike graduated from Oberlin College and the T.C. Williams School of Law. After law school, he returned to the Roanoke Valley, where he practiced law until January 2004. First, he was a partner in the firm of Osterhoudt, Ferguson, Natt, Aheron & Agee. He opened his own practice in 2000, joined by C. John Renick. Mike was counsel to the Roanoke Valley Board of Realtors, and was voted top real estate attorney in 2003 by his peer attorneys. He was a lifelong member of St. James Episcopal Church, where he held many positions, including Senior Warden. As an avid hockey fan, he never missed a Roanoke Express game. He was also a great fan of Virginia Tech and the Redskins, and was a member of the Hidden Valley Country Club. In 2002, high school classmates established the Michael J. Aheron Leadership Scholarship for a gifted Northside High School senior. Three scholarships have already been awarded from the fully endowed fund. Roanoke City Council and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors designated May 11, 2002 as Michael J. Aheron Day, the day hundreds of family and friends gathered to award the first scholarship.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9320134/michael-james-aheron