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RIP Michael Laboe
We recently learned about the death of our Brother, Michel Laboe, in 2016.
Obituary of Michael Laboe
Michael “Mike” Laboe, age 71, of Hudson, Colorado, passed away suddenly on October 31, 2016. Mike was born Laverne Michael Genaw to Sheldon David Genaw and Mary Elizabeth Martindale Genaw in Wyandotte, Michigan. He was adopted into the loving home of Jerome and Agatha Laboe in Monroe, Michigan, as a young boy. He graduated from St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, in 1963. He continued his studies at the Dayton Art Institute and the University of Dayton, where he met his eventual wife, Kathleen “Tassie” (Koenig) Laboe. Mike served in the U.S. Army from 1968-70 as a Specialist 5 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Afterwards, he began a career in the restaurant and entertainment industry, developing Cork and Cleaver restaurants throughout the Midwest; starting Peugot’s Restaurant in Colorado Springs; and tending bar and singing at the Red Lion Inn in Wichita, Kansas. He also worked at the Denver Plastics Factory in Hudson, Colorado. His greatest career achievement was pursuing his life as an artist, creating landscapes and portraits in the Western realism tradition. Always prepared to spin a yarn with a passing stranger, friend, or family member, he will be remembered for his warmth, humor, and passionate – if not exaggerated – storytelling. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Jerome Laboe, Jack Laboe, and Richard Genaw, and his ex-wife Tassie. He is survived by his children, Danielle Laboe and husband Ron Anderson; Brian Laboe and wife Jennifer Smith; Justin Laboe and wife Laya (Bachs-McClean) Laboe; grandchildren Miles Robert Anderson and Silvia Laboe; siblings Tom Laboe and wife Marilyn, Mark Laboe and wife Anne, Marie (Laboe) Wyllie, Joanne Laboe, and Sherry (Genaw) Bassett, Carol Day, and Gary Bielinda; and countless nieces and nephews.
