A celebration of life has been scheduled for Tuesday April 8 at 11am at Canyon Hills Assembly of God Church in Bakersfield for Michael Taffera, age 48, of Bakersfield, who passed away peacefully, to be with the Lord on March 31, 2008. Interment will be private. Mike was raised in Shafter and graduated Shafter High School in 1978. He owned and operated Taffera Jewelers for 24 years. His store was a place where anyone could stop by to chat, get counseling, or hear Mike's opinions on any topic; solicited or not. Mike never met a stranger. He could, and did, talk to anybody and was willing to help anyone with any problem, no matter how big or small. He was a man of huge heart who touched many lives. An avid outdoorsman, Mike enjoyed hunting, camping with his sons, and fishing with anyone. In the past few years, his passion was coaching his son's nationally-ranked paintball team . . . GO ENIGMA! More than anything in his life, Mike loved his 3 sons. Mike is survived by his mother, Bess, of Shafter; sons, Joe, Andrew and Phillip, all of Bakersfield; brother, Anthony and wife, Sherri, of Fresno; and sister, Carla Sperling, of Thousand Oaks. He is preceded in death by his father, Carl. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: National Organization for Rare Disorders, PO Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968. Please designate donations for Evans Syndrome Research, or in the memory of Mike Taffera.