Obituary of Michael Paul Garneau

Michael Paul Garneau passed away suddenly on May 28, 2014 of a heart attack at the age of 54. He was born in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York on March 23, 1960 of Pierrette and Gerard Garneau, and is survived by his brother, Andre, and sister, Denise. He is also survived by many relatives in Maine and Canada, including his favorite cousin, Vivi. Mike (also known as Mikey, and “Mook” by his dad) grew up in Smithtown, Long Island and graduated from Smithtown High School East in 1978 with a Regents Diploma. He joined the Army in 1978 and was stationed in Korea in the Army Corps of Engineers as a carpenter. After being honorably discharged in 1981, Michael returned to Long Island, where he worked various jobs. When his parents retired, he moved with them to Sedona, Arizona – the Red Rock city. He tried learning to drive semis, but found he did not enjoy the work. He worked in gardening and lawn maintenance during the remainder of his stay, gaining a reputation for being steady, thorough and careful. It is here where Mike learned about mountain biking, which he pursued avidly until a serious fall slowed him down a bit. He decided to move to Olympia, Washington, in 2005 and started a lawn care business. He continued his interest in cycling, logging thousands of miles on his mountain bike. He eventually took a lawn maintenance job at Paradise, where he stayed a few years. In 2007, he took a job with Intercity Transit, working as a bus cleaner. He was loved by everyone at Intercity Transit, and became a part of their close-knit family culture until his death. The thread that tied Mike’s life together was his great love and skill with classical guitar. He came from a musical family: both parents were pianists and music teachers, while his brother studied piano and music composition. He started learning the guitar way back on Long Island, and continued to grow his skills and repertoire throughout his life. His pride and joy was his collection of classical and electric guitars. He collected an enormous library of sheet music and tapes, from Palestrina to Rush, and everything in between. Rush was his favorite rock group, and he collected many of their CDs, DVDs and memorabilia. Mike was liked by everyone he met. He was a man of few words, but would mete out humorous quips when least expected. He will be missed by everyone he knew. Gifts in Mike’s name can be sent to: Providence St. Peter Foundation, Donation for Sunshine House, 413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506-9906. Phone: 800-332-4483. Web: www.providence.org/giving Denise and Andre would love it if you would leave a note of remembrance or an anecdote from your time with Michael in the Guestbook below.