Ponce Inlet, FL - Kaszuba, Mike 71, of Ponce Inlet, Fla., a relentless Star Tribune reporter who for 35 years covered local and state government at city halls, county board rooms and the Minnesota Legislature, passed away Tuesday, June 17th in Daytona Beach. Born in Hammond, Ind., and raised in Calumet City, Ill. - cementing him as a Chicago Southsider and a lifelong White Sox fan - Mike graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa before taking his first newspaper job with the Bristol (Tenn.) Herald Courier in 1976. There's a personality trait that most would regard as negative, but one that Mike Kaszuba wore like a badge: disruptive. It was a description that came occasionally from the frustration of those who tried to manage him and from the targets of his relentless journalism. But its origins stemmed from a deeply rooted commitment to integrity and to an unparalleled tenacity to dig in and not let go. When his editor told him he should cut his hair, Mike went to the barber and then sent the clippings to his boss with a note: "Since my hair is so important to you, I thought you would like this." It was the only time in his career Kaszuba was fired. He was quickly snapped up by the nearby Kingsport Times-News, where he worked for four years and won a public service award from the Tennessee Press Association. Kaszuba moved to the Twin Cities in 1980, when he was hired by the Minneapolis Star just in time for a newspaper strike. Over the course of his years with the Star Tribune, Kaszuba afflicted the comfortable across the metro area, frequently drawing the scorn of politicians and praise from readers. He was a lead reporter on Sen. Paul Wellstone's death, investigated the 35W bridge collapse in 2007, covered the 2008 Republican convention in St. Paul and the subsequent Franken-Coleman campaign and recount, and wrote endlessly on the Twins and Vikings campaigns for new stadiums. His work at the paper included stints in union leadership that often put him at odds with the people who signed his paycheck. When the Newspaper Guild union found itself fighting for scraps and fought a lack of leverage, Mike turned the tables during one contract negotiation when, starting things off, he delivered "Opening Remarks," a screed about the sacrifices made by workers who made the people in suits rich. On the day in 2015 when he retired from the Star Tribune, he ran into a legislator who congratulated him and asked him, "Now that you're retired, what are you - a Republican or Democrat?" Kaszuba smiled and said: "You'll never know." Sharone LeMieux, his wife would recall this interaction: "To me, that was his finest compliment. That was how unbiased his reporting was." Shortly after leaving the Star Tribune, Mike joined the nonprofit Public Record Media, where he became editor and primary writer, using public records laws to uphold integrity and transparency in government. He filed his last story for PRM only a few days before he died. Mike's was a quiet ego that never sought the spotlight - the work always was supposed to speak for itself. And the work spoke. "He was tenacious no matter what he was covering," said longtime colleague and friend Mark Brunswick, "whether it was the suburbs or Jesse Ventura" - whom Kaszuba covered as mayor and governor, and who once thanked him for being fair. In 2019 Mike and Sharone moved from St. Paul to Ponce Inlet, where he walked the beach daily and became a pillar of the local community. "That man made me a better person. He always did the right thing," a neighbor told LeMieux. Through it all, despite his talents and tenacity, his work took a back seat to his family. Las Vegas refused to give odds at how long this unlikely pairing would last when Mike and Sharone married on a steamy September day. Here was Mike, stoic and close to the vest, and Sharone, a tireless force of nature who never minded being in the spotlight. A friend once joked that Sharone was Mike's insurance policy against boredom ... but the premiums were awfully high. As the saying goes: "Opposites attract". She was the love of his life. Mike relished in Sharone's latest shenanigans, regaling colleagues with stories of her latest ability to negotiate a cheaper price or to finagle her way on stage to sing. Their family was less blended than welded. Lianna, the wild child who Mike worried about the most as a teenager. Mattison, the most affectionately sarcastic of the crew. Colin, the peacemaker. Sam, the enigma who might show up and then again might not. Michael Anne, who seemed sent from heaven right out of the womb. Grace, who often felt left out because she was the youngest but with a tenacity and spirit that rivaled her father's. None took more of his attention than the others. He appreciated them as individuals and was proud of how each of them had turned out to make their way into the world. He loved sitting as the patriarch in the family photos taken at their reunion every year on an island in Wisconsin. When everyone gathers again later this summer, he'll be there, too. Besides his wife, Sharone LeMieux, Mike is mourned by his six children -Daughters: Lianna (Dan) Colestock, Michael Anne Kaszuba and Grace Kaszuba; Sons: Sam Kaszuba, Colin (Laura) LeMieux and Mattison (Tracy) LeMieux; and five grandchildren (Charlotte, Audrey, Arlo, Kian, and Ellis) as well as his sister Marianne. A memorial service is planned for July 26 in the Twin Cities, with details to come.