Mr. Timmis was born in Detroit, Michigan where he has had a distinguished career as both an attorney and businessman. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University and graduated with highest honors from the Wayne State Law School in 1965. He was an Editor of Law Review while in law school. He received the School’s Distinguished Law Alumni Award in 1979. Additionally, in 1991 Governor John Engler appointed Mr. Timmis as a Governor of Wayne State University, the term of which expired December 31, 1996. In 1993, Mr. Timmis was the recipient of the Business and Professional Award from Religious Heritage of America. In the year 2000, Mr. Timmis was named Entrepreneur of The Year by Students in Free Enterprise. Further, Mr. Timmis received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy in May of 1995 in recognition of his civic and humanitarian contributions. In May 2008, Mr. Timmis was also the recipient of a Doctorate from Ave Maria University.
Mr. Timmis was senior partner of the law firm of Timmis & Inman L.L.P. He was also the co-founder and vice-chairman of Talon LLC., a privately-owned company formed in 1973 with extensive interests in retail and manufacturing both in the United States and Europe, as well as numerous real estate companies. Mr. Timmis retired on December 31, 2007.
In addition to his legal and business involvements, Mr. Timmis holds memberships in many professional associations; is a director of numerous corporations and serves or has served in a leadership capacity on the Boards of many charitable organizations and foundations including St. John Healthcare Systems, Cornerstone Schools, Inc., etc. Mr. Timmis has served on many ministry boards including The Navigators, Promise Keepers and Prison Fellowship Ministries. Also Mr. Timmis served as Chairman of Prison Fellowship International, a trans-denominational Christian organization comprising 129 chartered countries, for 16 years until October 2012. In October 2006, Mr. Timmis succeeded Chuck Colson as Chairman of Prison Fellowship Ministries (USA) which he chaired until June of 2011. Currently, Mr. Timmis is on the Chairman’s Council of Alpha International and the Board of Alpha in Prisons both of which are based in London, England. In addition, Mr. Timmis is also on the Board of the New Canaan Society.
Mr. Timmis and his wife Nancy are deeply involved in the problems of the poor in the Third World and have developed self-help projects in Africa and Central and South America. They are also very active in addressing the educational needs of children in East Africa as well as the City of Detroit. Along with his partner, Mr. Randolph Agley, Mr. Timmis was named one of the Leaders of the Nineties by Crain’s Detroit Business magazine.
Mr. Timmis has been married to the former Nancy Lauppe for sixty years. The Timmises have two children, a son Michael and a daughter Laura, who died thirty-seven years ago. Their son and his wife (also named Laura) lived in Uganda, East Africa, for seven years lifting up Christ to the poor through various projects, which work continues in the seven schools, multiple homes, and in various programs for street children and the rural poor in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and South Sudan. Today approximately 2,000 young people are in various Christ-centered programs. Michael Timmis Jr. is past Chairman of Ave Maria University and President of The Timmis Family Foundation. The junior Timmises are graduates of University of Michigan receiving MBA’s from the School of Business. The junior Timmises live in Florida and have four daughters and one son. The senior Timmises are residents of Naples, Florida but return to Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan during the summer.
Mr. Timmis’ autobiography was published in February 2008 by NavPress entitled Between Two Worlds: The Journey of an Evangelical Catholic.