Obituary: Michael “Mike” Carrico

After high school, Mike served four years in the United States Navy. Much of that time, Mike spent serving on the USS Simon Lake based in Holy Loch, Scotland. While in Scotland, Mike met Diana Murchison and they were married not long after.

Mike was an excellent dart player and belonged to a few dart leagues while in Scotland. He and Diana had a lovely apartment overlooking the river Clyde aptly named, Portland Place. His favorite place to play darts and dominoes was a pub called The Queens. Mikes libation of choice was always a pint of “heavy.” While in Scotland, Mike bought his first car, a Ford Cortina, which he had shipped back to the States upon discharge. He and Diana then drove the car from New York all the way to The Dalles.

Mike was a familiar face at Thomas Motors once he and Diana were back in The Dalles making a living. They purchased their first house on “G” street and a few years later built a house on Columbia View Heights. Many nights were spent at the Columbia View Heights house playing hoops in the driveway and/or ping pong in the garage with the Barnetts and Woodsides.

In the 1990s, Mike moved to Seaside, Ore., as his long time love for the ocean was still strong. He thrived “at the beach” until moving back to The Dalles in 2008 to be closer to family, especially his ever growing number of grandchildren. Prior to his death, Mike asked that he be taken back to Seaside and laid to rest at the famous Oregon surfing beach “the Cove.” Some of Mike's spirit was laid to rest at that location a week after his passing.

Mike was an athlete most of his life, loving the games of baseball and basketball. Because of the time spent in Scotland, Mike fell in love with soccer and was instrumental in bringing the sport to the Dalles in the 1970s. Sunday soccer is still strong in the community and hundreds of kids can still be seen playing at Kramer field on Sunday afternoons.

In his younger years, Mike was an avid hockey player and surfer and remained a top notch ping pong player up until his death.

Mike was also a music lover, putting the Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the Beatles among his top picks. He was also fond of some of the music brought home by the kids such as Iron Maiden, Scorpions, and Motley Crue.

Mikes final resting place will be in San Diego at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery next to his mother and father. A celebration of life is being planned for the spring of 2022 somewhere in The Dalles. Stay tuned.

The Big Kahuna was a father, son, husband, uncle, grandpa and friend and will be greatly missed.