Michael Laramie, 74, of Huntley, died peacefully in his home on Monday, December 14, 2020.
Michael was born on November 29, 1946 in Elmhurst to parents Sigmund and Roma (nee Fey) Helland. On September 7, 1968, he married Jean Janek in Itasca.
Michael loved his dogs, his muscle cars (Black Betty being his favorite), and his guns. He was a loyal fan of the Minnesota Vikings since 1968 and could often be found cheering them on to their next win. He especially loved his family, although he never missed an opportunity to prank them. Michael will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his wife, Jean, his children, Jim (Cari) Laramie, and Michael Laramie, his grandchildren, Madison, Michael, Jaden, Jaci, Jami, Mason, and Lucas, and his brother, Hawk (Gina) Helland.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kristin, and his parents.
Services will be private.
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Goodbyes are so hard. Mike -- I loved you dearly, and will miss you forever. My sympathies to Jean and his family.
Enjoyed seeing you on Facebook after leaving Airborne. Your children dogs and all of us will miss you farmer.
Sad to here this. Prayers to the family.
Rest easy grandpa, you will forever be in my heart.
Deep Condolences to Jean and the Laramie Family for the loss of Michael. I loved his sarcastic humor and his Vikings horns with braids. He loved his cars,dogs and grandchildren. Michael..rest in Peace.
Mike was a man of many jokes and sayings. He always had a funny grin on his face, when one of his jokes came to mind. He had a big heart for his dogs and creatures of all sizes, even his bees. But his biggest love was my sister, Jean, their children, and grandchildren. He could always been seen on the sidelines of a soccer or football game. He was a proud grandpa. He never complained about his illness, except to say, "It is what it is." He was a man of God and knowing he would be united with his loving daughter, Kris, made it all alright. That was his saving grace. He will never be forgotten and missed dearly by his Minnesota family.
Our hearts go out to Aunt Jean and their entire family. This heartbreak is fierce as Uncle Mike was a strong pillar of our family. His jokes and pranks were our favorite and he always put family first. We will always remember the good times. We rest a little easier knowing he’s having a special reunion with Kris and Grandpa Janek as they welcome him to the Guardian Angel Crew. We love you, Uncle Mike. Xo
Uncle Mike, You are terribly missed already. May you be flying high with our girl Kris, free from pain and debility, while also being reunited with all your fur babies who were awaiting your arrival with wet kisses. A wonderful uncle and Godfather. The fondest of memories remain. Aunt Jean and Family, We pray for your healing from this loss. Life has placed unbearable grief before you in your time. Healing does not come by forgetting but by remembering all that he was and is to all of us. Sending love and hugs from Minnesota, Kate, Danny, Ben and Sully P.S. Go Vikes
Our deepest condolences to everyone in the Laramie family. We have such fond memories of visiting all of you as children. Hugs and kisses to you all from the Sylvesters and the Janeks.
My deepest condolences to Jean and the Laramie family! A well respected man Mike was! At peace and giving big hugs to Kris up in heaven ! He will be dearly missed! Thoughts and prayers to the family!
So sorry to hear about Mike! He and I went to LPHS together. Same age and it’s always a shock to read about a classmate passing!
My most sincere condolences to Michael's family. I am honored to have met my cousin even if only briefly. Rest in peace my friend. May you enjoy God's loving embrace forever.
To my best friend and big brother, you will be forever in my thoughts and I will cherish our escapes always. Jean l am heart broken for your loss and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family in your time of sorrow.
I will never forget Uncle Mike’s amazing laugh when he pulled off a joke. I often found Uncle Mike hiding with a scary Halloween mask on and then heard cackling 10 minutes later. It was just the best! He was always happy and he always tried to pull your chain or get a rise out of you;). He adored his family and his pets, especially his Great Danes. He also adored Do Si Do cookies at Girlscout time! I think my daughter hit her quota just on what Uncle Mike bought alone. He was simple and sweet and gave it to you straight. I never knew what Uncle Mike would be into next. Would it be fixing up an old beauty or venturing into raising a new type of animal or insect. He kept it interesting for sure! Family has always been first for him. He was madly in love with Aunt Jean, doted on his beautiful daughter Kristin and taught his sons how to be great men. Aunt Jean and family... I am thinking about you tons and I wish I was there to squeeze you all. Uncle Mike will forever be in our hearts and on our minds. He will be greatly missed but it gives peace knowing he will be reunited with his beautiful daughter Kristin. He will forever watch over us all and hopefully pull some more pranks on all of us from above. We love you to the moon and back Uncle Mike!
My deepest sympathies to Jean and family. Mike was a great friend and coworker, and an even better man. You will be missed. ❤️
I had the pleasure of working with Mike for many years at Airborne. He was a mans man who always lightened up the moment and told you exactly how he felt. Those qualities were what I admired about Mike. Working with him was always fun because the time went by quickly. Even though we haven’t seen each other for a long time I can still see him on the dock with that devilish smile knowing he’s up to something! My heart goes out to the family for your loss. I know he will be dearly missed.
Our hearts go out to you and the family at this time. He will forever be missed but his memories will live in all of us. We love you all.
Dad Our hearts ache but we know you are looking down at us with seeing what kind of prank you can pull on us. You are The Man, The Myth, The Legend. Until we meet again. We love you and forever will be missed.
FARMER Its been a long time since we crossed paths,but yiu left me a lifetime of memories! We worked the plane together at AIRBORNE and occasionally had a coupla beers in the parking lot at the end of our shift.you were a Jim Shorts fan,as was I, and we would laugh hysterically at his antics on the radio!Work was fun when you were there.You and Jean came to my son Kyles 1st birthday party. He`s 28 now. time flies.... A while later, I brought Kyle to your house for a Vikings game against the Bears I believe. Well.... the Vikings lost and you threw your helmet with horns and braids into the flaming fireplace! Classic! You must of had extras! Your Pheasants were a sight to see,all 2000 of them! Amazing how they all came to you when you entered the pen. You were King of the Pheasants!! I loved when you played around with Kristin. NITSIRK you called her. ha! Well... your with Nitsirk now.... RIP my friend My sincere condolences go out to you Jean, and your wonderful boys.
We send our sincere sympathy to your family!
Our sincere condolences to Jean and Mike's whole family. We will sadly miss him; his jokes, his pranks, his smirky smile (somethings up), his sarcastic comments, his great laugh, his work ethic, his dependable friendship. If you needed anything he was there. Rest in Peace our friend and enjoy your new home with your daughter Kris. You have new angels to joke and prank now; not Kris, I'm sure she is on to you. Our prayers to Jean and his family.
Many yrs. Back I took Mike out for job interview at Airborne and me and Wayne McQueen visited your home . Mark was a wonderful man and I'm sure he will be missed. Gods Blessings Jean and Family.
Oh Papa Laramie- I will forever smile when I think of you! You always gave me a hard time and made me laugh! I adored you and will miss you more than you know. Rest In Peace “Papa smurf” as Cari would call you. We all loved you very much! Xoxo
I remember the first time I met Mike. I was 14. Jean was excited for him to meet our parents and asked me to let him in when he rang the doorbell. I did that and remember him standing there in his "James Dean" style, and he was very cool. From that moment on he liked to tease me and I was a royal pain back at him. Jean introduced him to mom and dad, but the response from my dad wasn't exactly the response we all were anticipating. My dad was not liking the idea of her dating and the first words out of my dad's mouth were "What do you want me to do, hand flips?", letting Mike know that he was not impressed and that he wasn't an easy sell. And, after a relatively short time things did go better. Until one day there was a small glitch.... when Jean was driving her fantastic new baby blue Impala down the street, Mike was in his vehicle coming towards her. He was goofing around and moving his steering wheel back and forth, to pretend he was out of control - but he miscalculated and put the front end of his car right into the drivers side of her car. They were going slow so nobody got hurt, but she made him come home with her and tell my Dad what happened. This was very uncomfortable to say the least, but somehow Dad didn't lose his temper. The car was repaired, life went on, and Jean and Mike were married the year I graduated high school. They were a great team and remained that way year after year, bringing two sons and a daughter into all of our lives. Throughout the years, Mike was always a comedian. He liked to make people laugh. He picked hilarious cards to send me (many of which I still have), which he liked to embellish . I also remember sitting at his kitchen table and he would come up with some of the most outrageous topics to share with me that seemed a bit far-fetched. I would spar with him and he'd come back with this-and-that, and occasionally had me believing what he was saying was true...and then, that twinkle in his eye, followed by that unforgettable laugh made me quickly realize he got me....yet again. Yep, you could always count on that when you least expected it. He was a prankster and loved it...and never stopped. The last time I saw him he gave me a hug and said, "Hey, I can hardly get my arms around you"....and then that laugh again. He was a hard-worker, even tempered and a great addition to our family. Mike, you are missed already, but I know you're up there smiling... next to our lovely Kris, as well as Dad and your folks. xoxo
Uncle Mike was the best father, Uncle, friend to all who had the honor of knowing him. He was honest, hard working and loved his family. I know he’s giving Kris a hard time now and enjoying his reunion with Grandpa Janek and his Mother. You will be missed and you are incredibly loved. Xoxo
So very sorry Jean and rest of family. Just found out and I am devastated to hear about my brother's death.If there is anything we can do for you and the boys please let us know. Love the Patrick Laramie family
You have our sincerest prayers for God's peace and strength at this time Jean and all the family. Mike will be sorely missed in the Seeman Road neighborhood and I will really miss Mike's joking and sarcasm. I will especially miss him jumping out of the bushes and scaring the bejeebers out of me when mowing the grass over by the property line. You were a great neighbor and may you rest in God's arms. Steve and Deb
I am very sorry to hear about Mike’s passing. My heart goes out to Jean and the rest of his family. I’m glad to hear all the good things said about Mike from family and friends . Rest in peace my half brother. Love, Dave