ANNA MARIA ISLAND – LaPensee Plumbing, Pools and Air co-founder, LaPensee family patriarch and beloved community member Mike LaPensee passed away on June 22. He was 79.
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 14 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at The Key Royale Club, 700 Key Royale Drive in Holmes Beach. The LaPensee family invites those who knew Mike to drop in, have a rum and Coke and share some memories.
Life and love
After graduating high school in Wayne, Michigan, Mike worked as a baggage handler at the Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Mike, his first wife, Sandra, and their son, Michael, moved to Anna Maria in 1967 and their daughter, Michele, was born in 1969. Sandra’s grandfather, Raymond Schuchard, owned Schuchard Plumbing in Holmes Beach and that’s where’s Mike got his start as a plumber.
After he and Sandra divorced, Mike met his second wife, Karen, in December 1976. They married three months later and raised their son, Greg, and daughter, Shawn, in their Anna Maria home, with Michael and Michele visiting regularly. They were married for 47 years.
Mike and Karen founded LaPensee Plumbing in 1985, operating the business from their Anna Maria home for a couple of years before moving it to 401 Manatee Ave. in Holmes Beach.
“It’s hard to put into words a lifetime of loving and living with Mike,” Karen said. “We got married 90 days from the day we met. We did a lot along the way, having these gorgeous kids and grandchildren that are still very close to us. We’re very thankful for that.
“Mike leaves a big hole in this community. He was an outstanding figure. He didn’t know a stranger. He met people very easily. He was very outgoing and had a love of life that you could see all the time in his big old smile. He’s going to be greatly missed professionally, community-wise and in our family. He meant a lot to each and every one of us so we will try to keep him in our love, thoughts and legacy as long as we can,” Karen said.
According to Karen, Mike died after suffering a major stroke. He had his first cardiac arrest incident shortly before his 46th birthday and from that point on he took heart medications and monitored his cardiovascular system.
“He overcame considerable medical issues and every day he was out there striving to do the best he could and feel as good as he could. I give him a lot of credit for each and every day that he just put one foot forward,” she said.
“He retired in 2009. After his retirement, I ran the business with our son, Greg, before he passed away in 2021. I’m stepping back a bit now and our daughter, Shawn Shields, and Chad Schweitzer are running it now,” Karen said.
When asked what she loved most about her husband, Karen said, “His outgoing personality. He never met a stranger. He was always asking people where they were from and who they were. He was always engaging and he just wanted to make new acquaintances and learn new things.”
As for what she’ll miss most, Karen said, “Everyday living. We had our children together and our business together so we were together all the time. It was quite a bond. He really grew into this grandfather role and he truly loved bragging about his grandkids.”
Mike and Karen have a long history of community involvement and assisting others. For many years they’ve hosted The LaPensee Bowling Tournament (now The Greg LaPensee Bowling Tournament) that benefits The Center of Anna Maria Island. Mike was a member of the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island and part of an informal coffee club that met at Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café in Anna Maria every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
“Mike was always willing to lend a hand and it was an honor to give back to our community through the years,” Karen said. “Not only did he love his profession as a plumber but he loved where he lived and all the people here.”
Speaking by phone while visiting Reno, Nevada, Mike’s daughter, Michele Crouthamel, now a Texas resident, said, “He was a great dad. He taught me whatever I wanted to learn. He taught me how to clean my first car, fix a toilet and change a tire. You do it the right way, you put pride in everything you do and your work ethic matters. He also taught me about life.
“When my husband, Jereme, and I were raising our two sons, Nathan and Corey, and living in the Virgin Islands, we’d come home every summer and stay with Dad and Karen. We have great summer memories – our boys going to the shop and being part of LaPensee Plumbing, being part of the Island, riding the Island Trolley and all those summer memories our boys have too. We have a wonderful family unit and we had great dinners around the dinner table when we came to visit. Losing Greg was hard. Losing dad will be hard. There’s so many good memories I’m thankful for.”
Nathan and Corey were the little kids shown in the old LaPensee Plumbing ads when the shop was next to Minnie’s Café.
Community figure
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said, “I was so sorry to hear about Mike’s unexpected passing. Mike loved the community and has been a passionate advocate for
our Island community. I spoke with him during our sleigh bell social event and he couldn’t say enough as to just how special the event was and how much it meant to him to see all the families enjoying time together. He was a true family man and truly loved the Island.”
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said, “Mike was a great man and a blessing to the Island community and the police department. He was loved by many. He will be missed by all.”
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said, “Anna Maria has lost one its most kind and thoughtful residents. Mike was a valued citizen of our city and our entire Island community. His generosity and kindness helped so many not-for-profit organizations and those less fortunate. He will be missed but not forgotten.”
Anna Maria Oyster Bar CEO John Horne said, “We so loved Mike. He epitomized the love for Anna Maria Island. He was a fabulous family man, businessman and community man. He loved Anna Maria Island and the Island people loved Michael.”
Island restaurateur and businessman Ed Chiles said, “Mike LaPensee was a great citizen of our Island. He and Karen built a business that was one of the pillars of our community. They supported every community cause and project. His presence will be sorely missed but his legacy of service will live on.”
Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan said, “Mike was part of the fiber of the Island. He was passionate about our community and ‘no’ was not in his vocabulary. He was a generous man, always willing to give of his time and talents. He had an infectious smile and laughed a lot, although he had his spunky side too. I had the pleasure of him being my ‘pseudo Island dad’ over my lifetime and I will miss him dearly. Someday I’ll see him again at the ice luge. If you know you know.”
Sato Real Estate owner Barbara Sato said, “Mike is Island legend. He embodied the character of a true islander. He started a great honest hardworking family business on the Island that always gave back and continues to give back to the community it serves. Mike always had a smile on his face and made us laugh. The Island has lost another great one.”
Ginny’s and Jane E’s owner Paul Foster said, “Mike was a regular at Ginny’s with the local coffee group that comes in. The group is made up of long-time islanders and Mike fit right in. Mike was a gentleman. I always looked forward to seeing him. He always had something positive to say. He loved Karen and his family and loved talking about them. Mike leaves a huge legacy behind. If a life is measured by how many friends and loved ones you leave behind when you go, Mike was incredibly wealthy.”
Former Holmes Beach Mayor Carol Whitmore said, “Mike and Karen have been close friends of our family since the 70s. Mike was a good, honest man who loved this Island. He always supported our community center and the local issues affecting those who lived here. Many here will never forget him.”
Jim McDaniel, former director of development for The Center, said, “I feel privileged to have known Mike LaPensee. Even more so that he invited me to see his work room where he painstakingly assembled incredibly detailed model ships. ‘Not just anyone gets to see that,’ I was later informed. Mike was generous with his time and wisdom and he and Karen generously supported The Center and the Rotary Club. I’ll miss Mike’s smile, reverence and the care he had for others. He was a person of action and doing ‘the good’ where he saw the need. Godspeed, my friend.”
Wash Family Construction owner Darrin Wash said, “I met Michael in the late 80s at a construction site on Anna Maria Island. I drew an instant liking to him as he spoke construction like he knew everything about it. In a short amount of time, I figured out he actually did know everything. I always looked up to him. He was one of my mentors and a huge supporter of the Wash Family. Michael and Karen always had great business advice for Dawn and I and they helped us grow into the company we are today. He was always proud of LaPensee Plumbing. He loved his family, his home on Anna Maria and he was a good role model.”
Longtime Anna Maria Island resident Tom Aposporos said, “In recent times, our meetings were occasional and accidental. I never left one of those visits without feeling good about seeing him.”
