MICHAEL PAUL STICKELS, Sr.

Michael Paul Stickels, Sr., a 44-year resident of La Conner, died at home on Monday, Aug. 1, after a long illness. He was 63.

The second child of Saera Mae and John Stickels, Mike and his sisters, Meredith and Marti, grew up on Lopez Island, the place his land developer dad loved best.

When Mike was just a kid and his friends were keeping maybe hamsters or parakeets, Saera Mae and John presented Mike with a singular pet to call his own: a calf — yes, you read that correctly. They called her Mildred, and so devoted was she to her young master that she famously trailed him to the school bus, stubbornly intent on boarding.

By the time Mike started high school, his blond good looks and wicked grin made his reputation as “the catch of the island.” He had charm up to here, and also a real talent for building things both useful and beautiful.

From childhood, Mike learned at his father’s side how to work with wood and to build things that last, things you could trust, down to every inspired dovetail. These skills the teenaged Mike put to practical and artistic use when he designed and built his first house, a cabin on the island. Mike’s passion for building honest, rock-solid, meticulously finished structures led to a 20-year career in construction, both as a respected solo professional and general contractor.

In the spring of 1981, Mike’s life was about to change in a big way. He tagged along with his sister, Marti, to the airport to greet her best friend from California, Melanie Austin.

A scant 20 minutes after meeting Mike, Melanie leaned in and whispered to Marti: “I’m going to be your sister-in-law,” which she did, on a sunshiny afternoon in June 1985, when Mike and Melanie were married.

La Conner was love at first sight for Melanie, and the couple put down roots. Their daughter, Katie Kimball, was born; Mike reconnected with old friends; Melanie worked as a drug and alcohol addiction therapist, specializing in counseling pregnant women and women with children.

This was Mike: he hated Brussels sprouts, tailgaters, and doctor appointments, not necessarily in that order. About pretty much everything else, he was boundlessly curious. A natural and inventive cook, Mike was known for his signature smoked salmon, a rare delicacy eagerly awaited by his family and friends, most of all by his sister-in-law, Nancy Austin. Mike and his two best pals bought Harley Sportsters and zipped around Skagit Valley, their overachieving engines making that instantly recognizable Harley sound: potato-potato-potato.

But rock hounding — well, Mike was as zealous as they come. His “Adventure of a Lifetime” took him and best friend Bill to the Royal Peacock Opal Mines in Nevada. It was an unforgettable treasure hunt, from Mike’s meticulous pre-trip research to the wow of spotting rare jaspers, thunder eggs and opals. No surprise that the Stickels clan caught the rock hounding bug, too. They left no stone unturned.

Mike cherished his whole family: Melanie Austin-Stickels, his wife of 31 years; sons Michael Stickels, Jr. and Marcus John Stickels (1978-2006); daughter Katie Kimball Stickels; his mother, Saera Mae Eads; sisters Meredith Kilwine and Marti (“she really gets me”) Brown; his first wife Rooney; granddaughter Lindsey Stickels and grandson Michael A. Stickels; nieces Ashley Fisher and Kelly Bigley; and his funny, faithful rescue dog, Abbey.

At the top of Lopez Island lies Iceberg Point, Mike’s favorite private place. From this majestic spot you can see all the way to Canada and down to Everett. Imagine him there, taking it all in. And dreaming, always dreaming.

Donations may be made to the Merle Cancer Center in Anacortes and Hospice of the Northwest in Skagit County. To share memories of Mike, please sign the online guest register at http://www.evanschapel.com