Micheau,+Larry

1226 N. Blake Rd. Spokane Valley, WA 99216-2172 509-680-1541 (cell) 509-443-5897 (home l.b.micheau@hotmail.com
 * Larry Micheau**

**1969:**After graduation I attended Skagit Valley College until December, 1960.February 1969 I joined the Air Force.November 1962, I married Judy Streets in Spokane.We have 3 children:Richie-6, Jerry-5, and Loraine-1.In February, 1965, I received my discharge and we moved back to Mount Vernon.March of the same year I went to work for the Mount Vernon Fire Dept., where I am presently employed.

**1979:**Other than aging, not much has changed in the last ten years.I am a Captain and Training Officer for the City of Mount Vernon Fire Department.Also for the past 14 years I have worked part-time for King Van Lines and I have started playing banjo with Harry Lindbeck’s Band, something I’ve really missed for years.My wife, Judy, and I have three active children.Richie, age 16; Jerry, age 15; and Laraine, age 11.Judy works as secretary for the United Presbyterian Church and all three children work during the summer.We enjoy outdoor activities such as backpacking, hiking, and fishing.

**1999:**Since I wasn’t at the 35th reunion, I will have to go back for the full 10 years.I had retired from the Mount Vernon fire dept. in 1985 and in 1989 I was working for the state fire marshal’s arson unit.However, the most joyous and important event for me in 1989 was my marriage to Barbara and we will celebrate our 10th anniversary on August 12th.In 1993 I transferred from the fire marshal’s office to the Dept. of Natural Resources and worked as a patrol officer and investigator for about a year before starting my own business (Puget Sound Fire Investigation, Inc.).I do fire investigations for insurance companies and attorneys and I really enjoy it, as I did all my careers.My motto is “Kick Ash & Take Names.”Barbara and I love to travel and having my own business gives us the freedom to do so; however, she is still working full-time as an oncology certified nurse (for just one more year); then watch our dust.Between us we have 5 grown children (3 for me and 2 for her) and 9 grandchildren.Most of our trips were to see the kids and grandkids (Ft. Worth, Norfolk, Las Vegas, Portland & La Conner).Barbara and I live on 5 acres in Arlington with our dog (Blaze), 2 cats (Rufus & Dufus) and 2 goats (Briggs & Stratton, our brush cutters).I still play some music gigs at the Sons of Norway halls around the area (accordion mostly, but sometimes banjo) with a three-piece C/W group called the “Wild Turkeys.”Can’t seem to get that out of my blood.My health is good and I am enjoying life to its fullest; however, I am not quite ready for full-time retirement (too much ash to kick yet).

**2009**: § Having lived in Mount Vernon and Arlington all my life, I reached the point where I couldn’t stand all the growth and traffic on the west side of the state, so in 2001, Barbara and I moved to the quiet little community of Kettle Falls (1 traffic signal and a traffic jamb is 10 cars or less waiting at the train crossing). The local hospital (Mt. Carmel) immediately hired my loving RN wife, Barbara, and put her skills to work. The community volunteer ambulance service was hurting for EMT’s, so I renewed my EMT certificate and joined the crew. But that only lasted a short time as my hearing is so bad that I couldn’t do patient assessment, so I had to quit. We love it here and we both have adjusted very well to the slower pace, the friendly atmosphere, the four-seasons, the wild animals (Moose, bears, deer, wild turkeys) that frequent our neighborhood, and the general overall beauty of the area. § Barbara retired from nursing two years ago because of health issues, but I haven’t given up yet and still do fire investigations for insurance companies in western Montana, northern Idaho and eastern Washington. I enjoy the challenges of “kicking ash”, meeting new people, and the travel. I feel blessed that I’m still healthy enough to keep up the activity, although it sometimes takes me a couple of days to recoup. § Three years ago I discovered a new sport I am very passionate about, Cowboy Action Shooting. It’s something we old-guys can compete against one-another without too much physical exertion, although there are also younger guys, women and children too, who compete in their own age and category classes. We dress up in 1800’s period clothing, shoot 1800’s period guns, have aliases (“Ol’ Muleskinner”), and have a real “blast”. Besides the fun, the best part is the fellowship and friendships that have developed. I only wish I had found this ten years ago. During our travels, I’ve been able to shoot at several different states from Georgia to Alaska. § I still play some music gigs with a band I had played with for 30+ years, The Wild Turkey Band (Named after the whiskey, of course). I play the accordion and sometimes the banjo, although my fingers don’t work very well anymore. Can’t get it out of my blood. We play at some of the Son’s of Norway halls in Everett, Bothell and Ballard. I also do a little fishing here and there, and I recently had a great trip to Sheridan Lake, BC with Larry Whalen. It was just like old times and brought back wonderful memories. § Barbara and I, along with our little Brittany, Jinx, have been able to do a considerable amount of travelling around the U.S. in our pick-up camper and travel trailer, and we’ve driven to Alaska twice since 2004. There are only three states we haven’t been to, RI, CT, DE, but it is not too likely that we’ll ever make it there. Much of our travel is to visit our kids and grandkids (Between us we have 5 kids and 8 grandkids in North Carolina, Texas, Oregon and western Washington). Barbara and I will celebrate our 20 anniversary August 12th of this year. It’s been the best and most rewarding 20 years of my life. § It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since we left the old “Halls of Ivy”. I have been truly blessed with good health, a wonderful wife and family, wonderful friends, and wonderful memories. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our reunion. May God Bless each and every one of you and keep you well and safe.


 * Larry's picture gallery:** Larry as Ol Mule Skinner, Larry & Barbara, Larry & band

While travelling in Southern Idaho, my loving wife, Barbara, passed away on August 6, 2014 following a lenghty illness and complications from long term medications. Her death was unexpected and she went very quickly and peacefully with me at her side. In 2011 we moved from Kettle Falls, WA to Spokane Valley in order to be closer to better medical care for Barbara. She has been doing better and able to do some of the things we've enjoyed doing together. We like it here in the Valley and the fact we are closer to all sorts of things (Lowes, Home Depot, Costco, Cabellas), whereas we used to have to drive 160 miles R/T to shop at these stores. Now we are only about 15 minutes from each. We have been able to do some traveling these past two years to visit family in Ft. Worth, TX and other friends between here and there. Last Fall (9/13) we drove our motor home to New York state to visit Barbara's Brother and his family, then down to North Carolina to see two of our Grand Daughters. While back there I also did some Cowboy Action Shooting matches in Maryland, Virginia and Arkansas. That makes 22 states I've been able to shoot in, including Alaska, plus British Columbia, Canada. Not too bad for only having done this sport for just over 8 years. We were gone from home for 6 weeks and drove over 7500 miles. Altho we enjoyed it, it was too long and too far. We'll probably not go farther east than the Mississippi River in the future. I feel blessed that my health has been good and I am able to take care of my sweetheart, Barb. That's my only job now, as I fully retired 3.5 years ago when I turned 70. Digging out fire scenes in Montana, northern Idaho and eastern Washington, especially in the winter months, was more than my old body was willing to endure. With my career with the Mount Vernon Fire Department, Washington State Fire Marshal's Arson Unit, and my own business of doing fire investigations for the insurance industry, I had a total of over 46 years in the fire related industry. It was truly time to quit! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in September at our 55th reunion. I appreciate all the work everyone has done to put this wonderful event together. If you are passing thru the Spokane area, I'd love to see you.
 * 2014:** [this message was received after Larry wrote the paratraphs that follow]

Here is our new address:

Larry & Barbara Micheau 1226 N. Blake Rd. Spokane Valley, WA 99216

l.b.micheau@hotmail.com