Jack Michael “Mike” Carlisle, a longtime La Conner resident and friend to everyone, died suddenly on June 28. He was 71.
Born April 16, 1955, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Mike grew up in a sports-loving family and became a standout quarterback, leading his father’s team at Jackson Preparatory School to a state football championship before earning a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. When an injury ended his playing days, he moved to Seattle to attend the Diver’s Institute of Technology with hopes of working on oil rigs in the North Sea, but the bottom had fallen out of the market by the time he graduated. He worked a number of different jobs before working at Rhodes masonry and becoming an independent stone mason.
A summer job at an Idaho cannery first introduced him to the Pacific Northwest. After living in Seattle for 20 years with his first wife, he eventually found his way to La Conner—the place he proudly called home for the rest of his life.
Mike and Nancy Crowell first knew each other growing up in Mississippi before losing touch for years. They reconnected in 1997, married in 2002, and spent the next two decades sharing adventures, laughter and a life they deeply cherished.
A gifted craftsman, Mike helped restore historic buildings throughout Seattle before spending more than 30 years working for himself. His final project, completed with Nancy by his side, was a stone pathway at the WSU Extension Master Gardeners Discovery Garden. He also volunteered for nearly 20 years at Avalon Golf Course in Burlington and curled with friends at Seattle’s Granite Curling Club for 15 years.
Mike had a big, unmistakable laugh that could fill a room. He had a knack for making people feel welcome, heard and like they belonged. He was endlessly curious, spending a lifetime studying economics simply because he wanted to better understand the world. He loved a good conversation, a round of golf, cheering on the Seahawks, and the community he found in La Conner, where he often said he had finally found “his people.”
Above all else, Mike was proudest of his family. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his sons, Peter Semmes Carlisle and William Haaga Carlisle (Kayla); his beloved granddaughter, Frances “Frankie” Lennon Carlisle; his mother, Jean Carlisle; his sisters, Bettye Carlisle Brown, Jane Hubbard and Cathy Grindstaff; and many relatives, neighbors and friends who will remember him as a kind of man you could always count on.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Mike Carlisle from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 26 at Avalon Golf Links, 19345 Kelleher Rd, Burlington, WA 98233. All are welcome. Donations may be made to Skagit County Historical Museum, La Conner Library Foundation or Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland.
