Michael "Mike" Scott of Sedro Woolley passed away on February 1, 2022.

Mike was born September 29, 1947, in Everett to Frances (Cheney) and Fred Scott. He had several childhood homes, but fondly recalled his years in Stanwood as the most idyllic time of his youth. He graduated from Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines in 1965.

A few years later Mike met LeOla (Smith) at Gov-Mart Bazar in Burien, Washington. They eloped on February 15, 1969, beginning a lifelong love affair based on mutual respect and a shared passion for adventure. After Mike graduated from the University of Washington in 1971 with a BA in history, they moved to Skagit County. In 1985 they settled in Sedro Woolley and began transforming a cabin in the woods into a small ranch where they raised and trained Morgan horses, a breed that Mike found exceptional in every way.

A man with an extraordinary intellect, he was a hard-worker who taught himself to do and to fix practically anything. Over the years, Mike held a variety of jobs. When his long hair barred him from certain types of employment in the 70s, he took whatever work he could find, including cutting firewood. He later spent 20 years as a general contractor and 16 as a public servant.

Mike had a passion for traveling and his sense of wonder and awe for the natural world was always apparent. He organized pack trips with his Morgan horses into the Pasayten Wilderness. Each spring they planned "fishing derbies" at Wannacut Lake. In retirement, Mike fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling with LeOla all over Europe. They also crisscrossed the U.S. on road trips, often lingering in the American West where Mike never tired of admiring the region's vast and uncommon beauty. They loved stopping at national parks, especially Mike's beloved Yellowstone. In 2014, he and LeOla launched their boat in Lake Powell, Arizona, where they spent a week exploring its many gorgeous canyons. In 2018, Mike found a 27-foot trawler in Florida, bought it and pulled it home, and spent the next two years restoring it. He and LeOla explored the San Juan Islands with family and friends on that lovingly restored boat. In 2019, after a vacation in Hawaii and an epic road trip to Alaska, they completed their goal of visiting all 50 states.

An unfailingly kind and big-hearted man, Mike will be missed by all who knew him. He was a master storyteller with a keen sense of humor. His contagious laugh often made him the life of the party (sometimes with the help of single malt Scotch). In addition to being a voracious reader, Mike was a novelist, diarist and poet. He led by example, inspiring others to show compassion for the downtrodden, think independently, question authority, and be honest. He believed in all of us, in our capacity to find fulfilment, purpose and challenge in our lives. He was a hero and a mentor to his kids, grandkids and extended family. Mike's little buddy Archie, an English cocker spaniel, was his constant companion during the past few years.

Mike used to joke that he would like to be remembered in this simple way: as a man who tried. And, he did try, until cancer claimed this remarkable human being. He is survived by his wife LeOla, mother Frances, sister Patricia, daughters Gayle and Kate and son-in-law Yvan, grandchildren Meghan, Colin, Clara, and Zane, and special nieces and nephews.

Family and friends will celebrate his life on Sucia Island in the San Juan Islands later this summer.

Memorial donations can be made to the  Skagit Animals in Need, https://skagitanimalsinneed.org/?fbclid=IwAR15W6G98ZdJSATnJSUSuBQDdpiLBU2AtnAYCuasexZggAnUDviCkdut0S0