On October 21, 1940, Michael (Mike) Augustine LeMoine was born to Josephine and Louis LeMoine Sr. as the second youngest of ten children. He spent his early years in Puyallup, but in 1944 he moved to Yelm where he grew up on a 32 acre dairy farm. As a boy, Mike tagged along with his mother to do household chores. Outside work was shared with his siblings, such as moving irrigation sprinklers, plucking down feathers from geese (his favorite), collecting eggs, and picking crops. During down time, he would play in hay mazes and attempt to squirt milk directly from a cow into cat’s mouth.  He also secretly taught himself how to drive in his dad’s car.

He quickly learned how to dodge farm hazards like sharp pecks from fowls, stomps from horses, pinchy door jams, and hot wood stoves. Mike truly knew how to rough it, especially since their family didn’t have the luxury of indoor plumbing until the 1950s.

In school, he enjoyed learning about banking, reading, writing, and science.  He also enjoyed analyzing his classmate’s social behaviors.  After his father passed in away in 1955, he went to work for Weyerhaeuser where he planted trees to help with family expenses.  He also did side jobs such as read to the elderly, haul hay, build houses and help others with handyman activities.

Ready to venture on his own and escape small town life, Mike explored the hot southwest states. He lived in California where he took a job as a hotel worker to pay for his room and board. Soon, he was offered a job transporting coffins between Mexico and the US.  He soon discovered that drugs were being hidden with the deceased and quickly decided to enter a new line of work. Realizing there was “nothing there” in terms of scenery, employment, and entertainment, he decided to move to Denver. Being a member of the local roofers union, he was quickly hired. However, his career as a roofer was cut short when a nozzle came loose from his high pressure air hose, causing aluminum paint to be sprayed across an entire parking lot filled with executive vintage cars. He decided to retreat home and continue his education.

Mike developed a passion for mechanics and thought about going to college to make it his profession. However, he decided to join the Air Force, favoring their training programs instead. He was trained as a C-130 aircraft mechanic at Sheppard A.F.B(Texas). He was next stationed at Tachikawa A.F.B. in Japan, where he explored the country by motorcycle. Mike ended his service at Dyess A.F.B. (Texas) in February 1964. He decided to leave the Air Force to avoid the costs and stress of moving as well as start a family.

After returning to civilian life, he helped restore his family’s farm after it was severely damaged by the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. He also worked briefly in retail and as a choke-setter at Weyerhaeuser. But his life-long career as a maintenance mechanic began when he joined the Continental Can Company. From March 1964 – January 1999, he worked his way up from general labor and maintenance positions to eventually become a supervisor.

On April 30, 1966, Mike married his wife Judy at All Saints Catholic Church in Puyallup. They temporarily settled in a Lakewood apartment so they could save money to purchase 20 acres of his family’s property and build a home. In May 1969, they welcomed their firstborn Suzanne. Next, their son Jason was born in September 1975. Mike was a loyal husband and strong father figure. He instilled the importance of worshiping God, living a virtuous live, practicing humility, being generous, and maintaining a strong bond with each other and the community.

When Mike retired, he enjoyed quieter, slow-paced days. He spent time caring for his in-laws, fishing, hunting, going to the ocean, tending to pets, and taking vacations to major attractions. He put his kids through college and enjoyed visiting them on campus. When not out and about, he liked “piddling around the place” or finding odd jobs or projects to enhance his home. He also took part in many hobbies such as oil painting, drawing, gem cutting, working leather, studying Catholicism, reading non-fiction books, watching Western movies, gardening, listening to country music, and conducting food experiments. He loved to share what he learned and developed many opinions on politics, especially about taxes, environmental regulations, and unfair Native American treaties. Mike also got more involved with St. Columban Catholic Church and discovered his second calling as a teacher. He taught religious education for teenagers and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults classes. He often led the Rosary at the church prayer group and became an active member of the St. Vincent De Paul Society.

To the very end, Mike maintained his easy-going, curious, busy, and mentoring nature. He rarely complained, kept his mind active, and held tight to his faith and love of family and friends. Mike peacefully passed away at home on the morning ofJanuary 3, 2015 holding hands with and lying beside his dearest “Bunky”. 

A Rosary will be said at St. Columban Catholic Church at 506 1^st St S, Yelm, WA on Friday, January 9^th, 2015 at 10:30AM, A funeral Mass will follow at 11:00.  A luncheon will follow the Mass in the St. Columban Hall.  A graveside service will be held at 2:00 at Yelm Cemetery, 11540 Cemetery Road Southeast; Yelm, WA.

The family requests donations be made in honor of Mike to the Building Fund at St. Columban Catholic Church. Donations can be made online via this link: St. Columban Building Fund.