Marcel LaPerriere Dies After Battle With ALS
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- Category: Obituaries
- Created on Friday, 28 June 2024 14:02
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Marcel D. LaPerriere
Marcel D. LaPerriere, after an extended battle with ALS that started in early 2014, passed away June 26, 2024.
He was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1953, and grew up in Sedalia, south of Denver.
He attended Douglas County High School, and afterward married his high school sweetheart, Connie. They moved to Seattle, Washington, arriving in the waning hours of 1972. In July 1973, their son, Zachariah, was born.
While in Seattle, Marcel served an apprenticeship as a machinist and worked as a machinist and a tool and diemaker until they moved to Ketchikan, in the summer of 1982. Marcel then worked as a powerhouse mechanic for about 15 years. He and Connie also owned several businesses in Ketchikan. Marcel designed and built climbing gyms in Ketchikan and Juneau.
In the fall of 2003, Marcel and Connie moved to Sitka, where he worked as the maintenance director at Sheldon Jackson College. When the school closed in the summer of 2007, Marcel started a construction company and worked on and built several homes in Sitka.
Marcel enjoyed hiking, climbing, caving, and sailing and was incredibly proud of the 45-foot sailboat he and Connie built from a bare hull, and they lived on for 21 years.
Marcel served on several nonprofit boards, including public radio, Sitka Conservation Society, and others. His last project and passion was commissioning the Sitka Violin and Viola.
At Marcel’s request, there will be no service. His family will spread his ashes on the side of the mountains he loved.
Marcel is survived by his wife, Connie, son Zach; daughter-in-law, Jennifer; grandsons Dane, Nate, and Blake; brother, Fred; and sister, Andree.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be made to a favorite nonprofit.
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