Damn, Santa Cruz glasser Mike Wasch Passes Away

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surfhorn
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Damn, Santa Cruz glasser Mike Wasch Passes Away

Post by surfhorn »

Mike was a really nice guy. We worked together at Freeline in the late 1970's and what a killer glasser. He would always take the time to follow my instructions - no mater how weird- for extra pices of glass in the knee areas, tail, etc, trying new techniques. There was always a smile on his face.
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February 27, 2007


Brain tumor claims another local surf icon
By Gwen Mickelson
Sentinel staff writer
Mike Wasch, a Santa Cruz surf icon who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March, died Saturday. He was 57.

Wasch's death was another blow to an already weary local surf community. Wasch died the same week as popular surfer Mike Locatelli, who also succumbed to brain tumors.

Though Wasch hadn't surfed for years, he worked in the surfboard-building industry for nearly four decades, three of those with veteran surfboard shaper Doug Haut.

He was considered by many to be the best surfboard glasser in Santa Cruz.

Though Wasch said he felt "positive" after the surgery and continually planned on going back to work, the doctors only gave him six to nine months to live after the initial diagnosis, said his sister, Denise Hutchison of Shasta Lake.

She and her husband, David, moved Wasch to their house in May to convalesce. The surgery left Wasch paralyzed on the left side of his body; even with therapy, Wasch never regained movement on the left side, Hutchison said.

A regimen of chemotherapy didn't affect the tumor, and in November the doctors stopped the radiation and told Wasch he had three to four months. About a month ago, the Hutchisons called in hospice care.

Toward the end, "every day it was something different," said Hutchison. "It was drastic how it took him"
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While Wasch died less than a year after diagnosis, Locatelli, a local surfer and well-liked personality who died of brain tumors, spent more than 15 years battling multiple tumors. Locatelli died Wednesday; he was 46.

When Wasch was in rehabilitation, Locatelli was there at the same time, said Hutchison.

"They wheeled him over to the room so they could talk," she said. "It's so odd that they died three days apart from each other. It's something else. And both having brain tumors — it's surreal"

A couple weeks ago, Haut and a group of friends went up to visit Wasch and say goodbye.

"He loved every minute of it," Hutchison said.

The farewell was sad, but what can you do? Life is life. When you're born, you're given a deck of cards and you play it out," Haut said. "But I'm glad he didn't suffer"

Knowing the end was coming eased the pain somewhat, but losing a friend was still hard, said fellow glasser and 30-year friend Tony Mikus.

"It's kind of like running into a wall — you knew it was going to happen, you just didn't know when, and when you get it, it hits hard for awhile," Mikus said.

Throughout his illness, Wasch "kept thinking he was going to go back to work making surfboards," said Hutchison, who called Wasch her best friend. "He loved that job — it was his life"

He also never complained about his situation or asked "Why me?" said Hutchison.

"He never asked the questions, never thought he was going to die," said Hutchison. "I don't think a lot of people could be that way"

Wasch's family and friends are planning a celebration of life, scattering of ashes and a paddle-out in late March.

Contact Gwen Mickelson at gmickelson@santacruzsentinel.com.

Mike Wasch

BORN: July 15, 1949.

DIED: Feb. 24, 2007.

HOME: Santa Cruz; lived with his sister and brother-in-law in Shasta Lake for the past year.

OCCUPATION: Surfboard glasser for Haut Surf & Sailboards.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Blackford High School, San Jose; some college.

SURVIVORS: Sister and brother-in-law Denise and David Hutchison of Shasta Lake; mother Jo-An Repko and brother Steve Wasch, both of Clovis.

SERVICES: A celebration of life, scattering of ashes and paddle-out is being arranged for late March.

CONTRIBUTIONS: To donate to a memorial bench in Mike Wasch's name in Moran Lake Park, call Evelyn Butcher at 476-2098; contributions are also preferred to Mercy Hospice Mt. Shasta, P.O. Box 239/Mercy Medical Center, Mt. Shasta CA 96067.
kbing since plywood days
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