Mik Wasiak: 1994 - 2026

Mikolaj "Mik" Wasiak
1994 - 2026

Mikolaj “Mik” Wasiak, passed away suddenly the night of October 28, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from medical complications brought on by severe seizures earlier that day. Mik was 32 years of age.

We were devastated and were unprepared for this unexpected loss, as Mik would always amaze us with his strength whenever life forced him to push through. He was an active miracle of God.

Born on June 23, 1994, three months premature in Tucson, Arizona, Mik was our second child and a baby brother to Kjersti. Despite lifelong challenges with cerebral palsy, Mik made the most of his life. In his hometown of Tucson, Mik attended Miles Exploratory Learning Center and Tucson High School. Mik was outgoing and had a knack for making friends. To his classmates and peers, Mik was the funniest kid with a keen sense of humor that could make them laugh at just about anything. He could also be quick to provide comic relief when it helped to see things in another way. After high school, Mik continued living with Kjersti, his sister and best friend, in various parts of the US—Huntsville (Alabama), Alexandria (Virginia), Washington DC, and finally Myrtle Beach (South Carolina).

Mik’s life was rich with experiences but he never lost touch with his Tucson roots. He was a dedicated University of Arizona Wildcats fan who rarely missed cheering for both basketball teams, women’s softball, and football. Tucson was a huge influence that expanded his love of sports to the NFL and his greatest sports passion—the LA Lakers.

Sports influenced Mik’s flair for style too. He may have been soft spoken, but he knew how to make fashion statements. Dressing his favorite camouflage pants up or down depended on the day. Sometimes he would pair them with a purple hoodie and Lakers socks, other times his grandpa’s checkered sweater with a black leather vest for edge. He only used his wheelchair to elevate his style and had just changed its colors to purple and gold for basketball season.

The best part about watching Mik grow up was seeing him engage with others through common interests around other cultures, people, food, and travel. We were in awe of how he could connect with any walk of life. His spirit would shine at happy hours and Sunday Captain’s coffee with our Washington DC Gangplank Marina friends as well as his Port of Washington Yacht Club friends.

Mikolaj is survived by his parents: Joe Wasiak and Kathrin Kjos; his sister: Kjersti Wasiak; his grandmother: Audrey Wasiak; his step-grandmother: Jeannie Kjos; his uncles: Tom, John, Andrew, and Mike; his aunts: Mary, Lynne, Tammy, Susy, and Tana; his eight first cousins, and his six second cousins.

Visitation and Wake is scheduled on Monday, November 9, at McMillan-Small Funeral Home, 910 67th Ave, N., Myrtle Beach, SC from 4 PM until 6 PM.

Funeral Mass is Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 503 37th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach, SC at 11 AM followed by procession to Ocean Woods Memorial Cemetery, 2408 S. Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC for the burial.

It was Mik’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to the Dr. Diane Kjos Scholarship at Governors State University (https://www.govst.edu/donate-scholarships). Dr. Kjos was a professor at Governors State and Mik’s grandmother.

Additional Memorial Services for Mikolaj Wasiak will be held in Tucson, AZ and Washington, DC in December 2026.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 28, 2026

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Today we did some Route 66 things in Barstow and a side trip to Yermo. Unfortunately, we are not making it to the End of the Trail this trip as we had to end our trip early and head back home the fast way via the Interstate tonight.

Our coffee shop pick this morning was not open at 7am and we ended up at Starbucks, but we happened to be checking out the murals later and found Crave Kaffee Haus open, so we got our second cup of the day.

We then walked around to see some more of the murals on Main Street.

Next we headed over to the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, which is in one area of the former Harvey house - Casa del Desierto.

We had lunch at what they call the Original Del Taco, but then on the wall they show that the first Del Taco was opened three years earlier in Yermo.

Of course, we then had to go to Yermo to the original Del Taco site, which is not a Del Taco anymore…

As we ended up in Yermo, we next went to Eddie World that the coffee shop owner had recommended since we mentioned we were planning to be in Barstow a few more days at that point…

We then also decided to visit the Calico ghost town because several people had recommended it to us since we got to California.

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Our last stop of the day, which turned out to be last stop for this trip, was the Mojave River Valley Museum.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 27, 2026

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Today we did Route 66 from Needles to Barstow, CA.

We got our morning cofee from The Filter Change in Needles, CA.

Next we visited Santa Fe Park.

We then learned about some of the area's history at the Needles Regional Museum.

After the museum, we walked around the outside of the nearby El Garces, which is another former Harvey House.

We then drove Route 66 to Goff, where we spent over an hour exploring the Mohave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association's Outdoor Museum.

Our next stop was Roy's Motel and Cafe, which did require us to get on the Interstate as a section of Route 66 west of here has been washed out and closed for years.

Nearby we stopped at Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark.

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We then continued on Route 66 to Bagdad Cafe for a brief stop.

Our last stop of the day was an unplanned one at Barstow Station because it was an interesting looking McDonald's in a building that incorporates old rail cars.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 26, 2026

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Today we did Route 66 from Oatman, AZ to Needles, CA, and ended up in Nevada unexpectedly again, although it was planned yesterday versus spur of the moment.

We experienced the Arizona Sidewinder to Oatman, which has 191 turns.

Along the Sidewinder, we stopped at Sitgreaves Pass, where there is a Mohave County Route 66 Centennial Sign.

We spent a few hours walking around Oatman checking out the various shops and saw the burros some.

After Oatman, our next stop was at Topock 66, which was also our last Route 66 stop in Arizona.

We entered California on I-40 as the original Route 66 bridge is now used for a pipeline, but we did backtrack along what used to be Route 66 to see the Welcome Historic Route 66 sign and view the Old Trails Bridge. 

Our last Route 66 stop of the day was at the Historic Route 66 California Gateway Site near Needles, CA.

We had planned to stay in Needles, but the KOA's well went out recently and yesterday they had to cancel our reservation. Instead of spending double our original cost for the night to stay elsewhere in Needles, I was able to get a free night in Laughlin, Nevada using only 5,000 Best Western points.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 25, 2026

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Today we did Route 66 from Kingman to Cool Springs Station as well as a hike on an old wagon trail and a last minute detour to Nevada for a 250 stamp.

This morning we got coffee from Liquid Bistro in Kingman, AZ.

We then visited the Kingman Railroad Museum.

Next we took a short hike on part of the White Cliffs Wagon Trail.

We then drove Route 66 to Cool Springs Station.

Cool Springs was our last planned stop of the day, but we found we had just enough time for a detour to Lake Mead Recreation Area in Nevada for a 250 stamp on our way back to Kingman.

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Before heading back to Kingman, we also visited the Hoover Dam and viewed it from the bridge walkway.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 24, 2026

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Today we did Route 66 in Kingman, AZ (and started Book 2 of Our Route 66 Daily Journal).

We started our day with coffee from Mudd on 66.

We then went to the Arizona Route 66 Museum.

After the museum, we walked across the street to Locomotive Park.

We then walked to Mohave Museum of History and Arts, which is included with the admission to the Route 66 Museum.

After we got back to the car, we did the Kingman Drive-Thru Route 66 Shield again to get daytime photos.

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Next we had lunch at  Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner, which has their own delicious root beer that even includes free refills.

We then attempted to go to the Kingman Railroad Museum, but they were closed due to preparing for a ghost event this evening. Instead we just checked out the nearby Murals on Kingman's Historic Water Tanks.

Back at the KOA, we played a round of mini golf while the laundry was in the washer.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.

Our Route 66 Daily Journal: October 23, 2026

Today we did Route 66 from Seligman to Kingman, AZ.

Our first stop of the day was at the Grand Canyon Caverns, where we took the tour 21 stories underground.

As we continued on Route 66, we stopped for some photos at the Frontier Garage in Truxton, AZ. 

In Hackberry, we stopped at the Hackberry General Store, where I ended up finding nine more states for my 1940s license plate collection.

Our next stop was to see Giganticus Headicus in Antares.

Nearby there is the Guardian of Route 66 sculpture.

As we got to Kingman too early to check in, we visited the Lewis Kingman Park to see the Route 66 Shield Monument and Cadillac Ranch sculpture. It was a good thing we visited today instead of tomorrow as they were starting to set up for some kind of fair for tomorrow.

We then had coffee at The Pearle of Plants Coffee Garden.

After a car wash, it was late enough we could check in at the KOA.

For dessert, we got ice cream at Scoops on 66.

We then walked around and drove around to see the neon at night around downtown Kingman.

We also did the Kingman Drive-Thru Route 66 Shield while it was lit up at night.

See full list of Our Route 66 Adventures here and Google map here.