Michael Pachovas

Michael Pachovas cared about people, all people. Eager to start helping the world, he entered the Peace Corp a few months before his 21st birthday in 1969. On his first day in rural Ethiopia he dove into a lake and broke four of his neck vertebrae. He survived the near drowning, the cross country bumpy ride on an ATV and two surgeries to wire his neck back together. He accepted that he was quadriplegic as a result of the accident, but he never accepted that he was disabled by it.
In 1971, Michael moved to Berkeley, California to obtain a bachelor’s degree and take advantage of the moderate climate. He also began his life-long passion as a disability rights activist. His primary goal was to live independently with accessibility to all places. In the process of attaining that goal, he helped countless others gain their independence and accessibility through the establishment of the first Center for Independent Living. In addition to his passion for the disabled community, he also cared deeply about the environment.
Among Michael’s amazing feats, and despite his body’s inability to move on its own, he managed to go white water rafting, chain himself to a tree in the forest for several days to stop the flooding of a natural river bed, get arrested a few times for insisting on accessibility to public places and he spearheaded a cross country caravan of disabled individuals in the early 1980’s to show the powers that be in Washington D.C. that individuals with disabilities count and should be heard.
Michael’s children were his two macaws, Sierra and Cherokee.. He raised them from their infancy and taught them to be extremely vocal and very sociable – much like he was.
Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Pachovas and Despena Nicoludis Pachovas and a sister, Kathleen (Jack) Price. In addition to his birds, he is survived by his twin, Andrew (Karen) Pachovas and siblings, Cynthia (Les) Rockwell, Gus Pachovas, George Pachovas, Marina (Ron) Dick and numerous nieces and nephews.
Michael loved and was loved by many. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 on Monday, July 11, 2016 at the Sunset View Mortuary, 101 Colusa Blvd., in El Cerrito with interment to follow at Sunset View Cemetery.