Peter Michael ‘Mike’ Eckman, 82, died in Ocala, Fla., on Dec. 4
A celebration of life will be held in Ocala, Fla., on Jan. 3 for Thoroughbred horseman and advertising executive Peter Michael “Mike” Eckman, 82, who passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Advent Hospital in Ocala on Dec. 4. He suffered from heart complications and diabetes.
Born Oct. 19, 1937, in Whitewater, Wisc., Mr. Eckman grew up in Blunt, S.D., where he began his lifelong interest in horse racing on the Albright Ranch, beginning as a jockey on small South Dakota racetracks in the 1950s. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1955 and was stationed at Lake Mead Base, Las Vegas, Nev. Mr. Eckman earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees at Northern State University, Aberdeen, S.D.,, taught middle school English/Social Studies in Sheboygan, Wisc., and was a high school principal in Highmore, S.D. He also served as Equal Educational Opportunity Director for the state of South Dakota and was a Quarter Horse trainer in South Dakota in the 1970s.
After moving to Ocala, Mr. Eckman was advertising manager for Florida Horse Magazine in the 1980s breaking many sales records at the time. He was also vice president of Thoroughbred Sales Company of Ocala and an equal partner in a Thoroughbred auction company now known as Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company. He also was the owner and trainer of a Thoroughbred racing stable that led the state of Florida by number of wins for three consecutive years during the 1980s.
After a short-lived effort in the donut business in the early 1990s (Dippity Donuts), he created his own Thoroughbred stallion marketing agency, PM Eckman Advertising, which helped change the landscape of Thoroughbred stallion marketing globally. PME promoted hundreds of stallions to breeders by creating and placing advertisements within industry publications around the world, helping set the modern standard of service and quality for Thoroughbred marketing agencies. The agency also created one of the first Thoroughbred stallion farm websites for Ocala Stud, 1996-’97, and to this day continues to be a world-leader in Thoroughbred industry website development and marketing.
Mr. Eckman sold the agency, now PM Advertising, in 2008 and spent his retirement continuing to develop his passion for breeding and training Thoroughbred racehorses, photography and visiting his grandchildren. He was also an avid sailor and motorcycle enthusiast, having owned several sailboats and Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Mr. Eckman was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph LeRoy Eckman and Veronica Morris Eckman, and his siblings, Jerry, Rosemary, Kada, and William “Ricky.” He is survived by his sister Joan Vickerman, Mequon, Wisc., his brother Morry Eckman (Barbara) of Ocala, Fla., his 3 children; Shelbi Eckman (Greg Pirner), Joel Eckman (Brandy), and Keely Streeter (Rob), his grandchildren, Ian and Jack Pirner of New Brighton, Minn.,, Jamie and Riley Eckman of Ocala, Fla., and Latham and Skylan Streeter of Shoreview, Minn., and several nieces and nephews. Mike was married to Karen Skogmo for 16 years before their divorce in 1978.
A celebration of life will be held Friday, January 3, 2020, at 4 p.m., at 1941 SE 50th Terrace, Ocala, Fla. A second memorial is planned in South Dakota on Memorial Day weekend. Please contact Joel Eckman at 352-875-9041 for more information.
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