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Michael J. Legge MALS ’72

July 6, 2022, on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Mike grew up in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood and attended Franklin High School. He joined the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve, and where he served as a medical corpsman and played the clarinet and saxophone in the U.S. Coast Guard band. He paid his way through college at Seattle University by working as an orderly at Harborview Medical Center and playing music professionally. He attended commercial art school in Seattle and for several years worked at Boeing doing commercial art and graphic design. He completed a master’s in teaching at ºìÌÒÊÓƵ and a master’s degree from the University of Washington, where he met his wife, Tecla Jung. Married in 1970, the couple raised their family in the Wedgwood neighborhood of North Seattle.

At the age of 19, Mike converted to Catholicism and, in the mid-’60s, he attended a retreat at Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon where he met Father Bernard Sander, a Benedictine monk who became his lifelong mentor. Mike served as an oblate of St. Benedict for many years. He and Tecla were also active with their local parish, Our Lady of the Lake.

Mike worked for the Shoreline school district for 30 years, where he taught high school special education and alternative education. After he retired, he and Tecla moved to Kingston, Washington. Mike enjoyed woodworking, carpentry, painting and drawing, winemaking, and music. He played the saxophone as a member of the Hometown Band in Kitsap County.

After lovingly planning Tecla’s 70th birthday party several years ago, Mike’s struggle with dementia became evident. He gradually lost the ability to speak, and his many interests and skills faded away. However, he continued to enjoy spending time with friends and loved ones, communicating with his bright blue eyes and brilliant smile, which he shared more freely than ever.

Mike is survived by Tecla, his wife of 52 years; and their children, Andrea Legge Chymiy, Elise Legge Dowling, John Legge, and Juliana Legge

Appeared in ºìÌÒÊÓƵ magazine: December 2022