MICHAEL METRAS (1943-2018)

Michael Eugene Metras, age 75, passed away June 26, 2018 in Santa Fe, NM following a heart attack.

Mike was born January 16, 1943 in Watervliet, MI, moved to Woodstock, IL in 1953, attended Marian Central Catholic High School, graduated from college with a degree in classical languages.

In April, 1992, Mike joined the Chicago Coin Club becoming member #1030. He served on the Club Board, authored and co-authored several of the Club's souvenir currency sheets issued for the Chicago's Paper Money Expo and was an active exhibitor. Some of Mike's electronic publications and essays include: "Ethiopia: Travels of a Youth," "Mike's Morgans," "Trains on Currency and Stock Certificates," "Money Meanderings: An Introduction to Numismatics," and "Axum: Coins and Places." He was a member and web-master for the Hillside Coin Club and newsletter editor for the Elgin Coin Club. He will always be remembered as a knowledgeable numismatist willing to share and friend to all.

Mike enlisted in the U.S. Army, served in Phu Bai, Vietnam, and Asmara, Ethiopia. When he was discharged in 1970, he spent six months exploring East Africa and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. On his return to the U.S., Mike worked as Service Manager for White Motors Co. and traveled extensively in Latin and South America. He was also employed by Computer Associates as a Technical Writer. When he retired he began to pursue a lifelong dream of traveling and writing which began with a walk around Sicily.

Over his life Mike learned Swahili, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Greek and German which served him well on many pilgrimages. In 2003 he walked the 588-mile Spanish Camino De Santiago De Compostela (Way of St. James). He walked segments of this pilgrimage 4 more times and met the love of his life Petra Wolf, an environmental engineer from Constance Germany. They married and embarked on a 14-year odyssey of travel and many pilgrimages, including: walks across America, walk from Germany to Rome, walk from Southern Germany to Jerusalem, and a 23-month, 5,300-mile walk from Southern California to Jerusalem which he recorded in the book "Encounters on the Road to Jerusalem." In 2013 they began an internal spiritual pilgrimage to India.

Mike is survived by his wife Petra Wolf, two brothers and three sisters. A celebration of his life was held July 15 in Santa Fe. True to the way Mike lived his life as a pilgrim, writer, traveler and wanderer, he requested his remains be cremated and, in lieu of flowers, his friends should to take someone they care about on a walk, long or short.

For information about Mike's life see his web sites PilgrimageCreations.com and WorksandWords.com .

Members who contributed to his obituary include CCC members Robert Feiler and Steve Zitowsky.

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