‘He was so brave.’ Former co-owner of Columbus and the Valley magazine Mike Venable dies

Mike Venable, former co-owner of Columbus and the Valley magazine, has died at the age of 70.

Venable, who had been battling cancer for 14 years, died Tuesday, his wife, Jill Tigner, announced on her Facebook page.

Along with Tigner, Venable worked in the Ledger-Enquirer advertising department before they bought the magazine in 2000. They sold it, along with Valley Parent magazine, to Jodie and Gerald Saunders in January.

“He was so brave, facing down cancer by doing research and working with his medical teams here and around the country,” Jill wrote in the post. “Mike helped so many people as they received a cancer diagnosis, giving them hope that the diagnosis didn’t mean the end was near. He was the poster boy for the John B. Amos Cancer Center outliving all predictions for his survival.

“Thank you to all our friends and family for your love and support. We’ve drawn such strength from your words of encouragement. Now, we need prayers to help us through life without him.

“Mike and I had a great love which I hope was obvious to anyone who met us. I’m so grateful that God brought us together.”

Tigner announced the funeral arrangements on her Facebook page Tuesday night. Visitation at McMullen Funeral Home, 3874 Gentian Blvd. in Columbus, will be Jan. 3, from 5-7 p.m. EST. A celebration of his life will be Jan 4, starting at 11 a.m. EST, at the Old Russell County Courthouse, 15 Jackson St. in Seale, followed by a reception there.

Venable and Tigner also owned the Phenix Citizen weekly newspaper for seven years. In fact, the party they held in 1995 at the Old Russell County Courthouse in Seale to celebrate their purchase turned into their surprise wedding, including Elvis Presley impersonator Heath Taylor, who now is Russell County sheriff.

The local chapter of the American Cancer Society honored Venable in 2011 with its Crystal Ball award for the information, insight and inspiration he provided fellow cancer survivors through his blog.

“A motivated, engaged cancer patient is a mighty important ingredient for a good outcome,” he wrote in a 2010 post.

Venable served as chairman and board member for the Columbus Regional Healthcare System Foundation (now Piedmont) and the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. He was president of the Phenix City Rotary Club and a member of the Rotary Club of Columbus. He co-owned Ride On Bikes with Buddy Nelms.

Marquette McKnight, president and CEO of Media, Marketing and More, was friends with Venable for more than 40 years.

“Mike was a person who loved fiercely,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “He was not an indifferent person. He had lots of opinions on things. He loved conversation. He loved words. He was a beautiful wordsmith, and he loved the power and context of how you could express yourself in writing. I always thought he had to have a book in him, and I’m sure had he lived long enough, he might have gotten around to that.”

McKnight especially was impressed with Venable eagerly telling folks he loved them.

“He was like an all-in person,” she said. “When he loved you, he loved you, and you knew it.”

Venable gave Ledger-Enquirer readers a glimpse of such love in 2015, when he shared for a Father’s Day story his journey of learning to embrace his son Adam’s choice to become a rapper.

“It’s truly heartwarming,” Adam said then. “I feel like he’s definitely much more accepting and understanding of my lifestyle and perspective these days. And at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about, right? Peace, love and understanding of all people and their differences.”

“I was wrong,” Mike admitted then and repeated, “I was wrong. And boy, am I glad that I was wrong, because it’s given him an exciting life, a bona fide bucket-list-like life for him, and probably the ability to make a living doing it, too. . . . What I want for Adam in particular, but all of our sons, is for them to not be so cautious, to absolutely rear back and go at it.

“. . . Faith and trust are important. I wish that for any father-and-son relationship, to do the best job you can to rear that child and know that when they fly off on their own, they can make good decisions and do the right thing.”

Venable’s blog was another way he showed his love.

“He was a role model and a guide for so many other people with cancer,” McKnight said. “… He did that for people all over the country. His blog was shared worldwide. … He became a medical researcher. … He had the intelligence and the access to research, and he asked people for any kind of information. He knew who to call.”

A self-taught cook and wine enthusiast, Venable had “an interest in almost everything” and “lived large,” she said.