8/16/2022
A collection of stories from the life of Michael Burke. He worked for the Forest Service in Alaska, California, and Oregon. He lives in Oakland, OR. His wonderful wife, Celia, passed in May of 2021
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Tuesday, August 16, 2022
THE LOSS OF AN OLD FRIEND
I received an email from Judy Barceloux, the wife of my old friend Alan Barceloux, informing me he passed away August 12th. Alan had been fighting stage 4 lung cancer for the last five or six months.
Alan and I had known each other going back to our days as Boy Scouts in Willows, California in the late 1950's. We had many adventures together exploring the Mendocino National Forest during the summers in our high school years, including backpacking through the Middle Eel Yolla Bolly Wilderness Area. We spent some early mornings hunting ducks and geese in the rice fields south of town during the winter months. In 1966 Alan enlisted in the Air Force for three years during the Vietnam war at the same time I was drafted into the Army for two years. In the Fall of 1969 Alan and I shared an apartment together while we both attended Lassen College in Susanville, California under the GI Bill. Later he attended Chico State University then took over the family auto parts business of Baceloux Brothers Auto Supply in Willows and worked at the NAPA Auto parts store in Orland until he retired.
No doubt we drank our fair share of beer together over the years. We kept in touch by email and in many ways Alan was like a brother to me.
Whenever Celia and I were visiting family in Chico we would enjoy a meal and have a few beers with Alan and his wife Judy.
RIP old friend!
Ah Michael! Alan was such a good and longstanding friend for you throughout the years. I remember him with the collection basket at mass and how we would make fun about it.
ReplyDeletethis is Alan's little sister. My brother was definitely the quiet man! I always asked about you. He would say he talked to you every so often. That was it! I was able to be there when he passed. It was so peaceful. I definitely will miss him. I always felt I was under his wing. Am so glad you are a story teller! I look forward to reading more of your blog. Although a 'blog' is all new to me.
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