Mike was born on January 14, 1954 to his parents George and Rosa Bertram, and his big brother Steven. He grew up in Stanford, Kentucky but spent lots of time with his grandparents,uncles, aunts and cousins across Casey County as well. He married Kathy Floyd in 1978 and they had two children, Nicholas and Natosha. Mike remarried Terri Severance in 1989 and gained two more children, Ashley Crawford Bodner and Jacob Cummins. He was a Master Plumber and spent most of his life working with his father in their family business, but the last two years of his work were in the Marshall Islands as a contractor for a military base. He was a follower of Jesus and had a deep, unshakable faith that sustained him through a debilitating heart attack in 2012. Other things that brought him joy were the Kentucky Wildcats, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, the game of chess, playing poker with his family, and a little bit of gardening.

Mike passed away on October 8, 2025 in his home, ending a battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his father, George Bertram, Jr., and is survived by his mother, Rosa Bertram, his brother, Steven and (Anita) Bertram, his children Ashley Crawford Bodner and her husband Berek, Nicholas Bertram and his wife Jennifer, Natosha Bertram Barnett, and Jacob Cummins, his 10 grandchildren Riley Bodner, Cadence Barnett, Alayna Bodner, Donovan Bertram, Cora Barnett, Aiden Bertram, Beckham Bertram, Mia Bodner, Rowen Bertram, and Gavin Bertram, his nephews Joshua Bertram and Andrew Bertram, his aunts, an uncle, and enough cousins to fill a pavilion.

His final wish was to have his life celebrated at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church and his body buried at Peavey Cemetery in Liberty, Kentucky, next to his grandpa Dean. All are welcome to do this on Monday October 13 at 1:00 PM, with Rev. Vola Brown officiating.