Obituary of Michael Joseph Oatman

none Michael Joseph Oatman First-born child from the union of Marshall Z. and Helen E. Oatman, on December 18, 1952 in Fairbanks, Alaska, our brother Michael came into this world. He joined his older brother Marty and was joined in rapid succession by his sister Patty and brothers Marshall and Tom. Over the next several years we would travel as a family, courtesy of the U.S. Army, to places like Texas, Georgia, California and Hawaii. We finally arrived in Olympia in the summer of 1958, and from there it all began. After a short stint at a grade school in Dupont, Washington, Mike settled into life as a grade schooler at James Madison Elementary on Olympia's lower East side. There at Madison, and in the neighborhood around the 1300 block of 5th Ave., he would form friendships with kids that had families with names like Berger, Caparoon, Fuller, Carey and Stamey. To be a child in the Olympia of the sixties was a special thing indeed. We all were fortunate to have lived that life with him. There was a certain pioneering innocence in attempting to skate board on the early models that had real small metal wheels that would jam stop on the smallest of pebbles sending the rider to the usual fate of bruises and skinned flesh. Sting Ray bikes for the paper route were all the rage. You could buy a Big Hunk at Davis' grocery store for a nickel. Summers seemed to last forever. Bike trips to, and swimming at a pristine and rural, Wards Lake were like something out of a dream. Mike's devilish smile and sense of adventure made that life even more exciting. Those of us younger looked up to him with awe. Mike attended the Olympia school system through the mid to late sixties at Old Washington and on through the early 1970's (the girls just seemed to gravitate towards him.) at O.H.S. where he graduated in 1971. He joined the Navy and was soon married to Lisa Benedict. After leaving the Navy he worked as an electrician to Journey level in the trade that would become his profession. He was known to be a fair carpenter, as well. They hand built a tidy little cabin in Tenino. The marriage with Lisa dissolved, and he continued his industrious ambitions by building a home on a hillside near the Capitol Forest. A few years later he was married to Allison Terk, and although in the end, that marriage failed as well, they raised two beautiful and gifted children. He dearly loved them both. Mike's life ended on the afternoon of August 25, 2005. He died instantly as a result of injuries sustained when he lost control of his pickup truck on Goat Creek Road near his home in Mazama, Washington. Those of us lucky enough to have known and loved this generous and loving man will miss him forever. Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Edith Oatman, and his grandmother, Helen Edith Walsh. He is survived by his father, Marshall Z. Oatman of Austin, Texas, and by his two children, Jon Oatman and Lindsey Oatman, of Olympia. He is survived by his brothers, Marty of West Hollywood, California, Tom of Kent, and Marshall of Olympia. He is also survived by his sister, Patty of Elma. There will be a private graveside service on Friday, September 9, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. at Calvary Cemetery,3850 Cleveland Ave SE, Tumwater WA 98501. Please join Mike's family in a memorial celebration following the graveside service from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post #3 (The Salmon Club), 3201 Boston Harbor Rd. NE, Olympia, Wash. 98506.