Son of Eldon and Catherine Barrett, Michael Stephen Barrett was born in Olympia Washington on February 28th, 1944, a leap year. A clerical error indicated his birthdate was February 29th and Michael long took advantage of the misprint to claim he was only a quarter of his actual age. He was like that.
Michael was a successful journalist and foreign press correspondent, entrepreneur, a serious author, a boffo barkeep, intrepid hiker (back in the day), world traveler, professional musician, actor, and chef encourages by strong family values and enduring friendships-a quintessential Renaissance Man convinced the world was slightly mad and, therefore, worthy of being explored, which he did.
He was the eldest of four children, sharing the family nest in Green Lake/Latona neighborhood of Seattle with his parents and sisters Susan, Patricia, and Rebecca. Michael attended Green Lake Elementary, John Marshall Junior High and graduated from Roosevelt high in 1962 along with a trio of friends who became the Big Four for life.
His FICA contributions commenced at the original Dick’s Drive-In in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle before he could drive. Additional income was garnered after the formation of a successful rock-and-roll band which, despite the name (The Spades), enjoyed considerable popularity at Seattle’s south-end high schools. At the time, nobody in King County could belt out Ray Charles “What’d I Say” with such gusto while pounding a Magnavox electric piano for a gyrating mob on a crowded gymnasium dance floor. Amid a demanding schedule that included tooling about Seattle in a studly white 1955 Studebaker Commander, he managed to score the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1962 Roosevelt High Drama Festival. Then he began spreading his wings.
Stints at University of Washington and Everett Junior College indicated he wasn’t quite college-level material yet. So he shifted gears and created a musical comedy titled Baked Alaska and hitchhiked to New York City in 1964 to pitch it to Broadway.
Broadway wasn’t receptive to the offer, and so Mike supported himself in NYC by playing piano at the World’s Fair bistro and working at MGM until Uncle Sam beckoned. Army duty in Korea exposed him to many facets of journalism, and he returned to Seattle eager to hone and broaden his budding journalism and writing talents. He earned a degree in English at the University of Washington and went to work, first, for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, then United Press International (UPI). UPI sent him from New York to Brussels, Belgium and later Cairo Egypt, where he covered the simmering Middle East for two years with headlining releases that detailed, among other things, the reopening of the Suez Canal and King Faisal’s assassination. Upon being reassigned to Brussels to cover the European front, Michael began pining for the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and the company of family and close friends.
In late 1976 he formed a business partnership with a longtime pal Roger Miller and Roger’s father Harry Miller, and headed home from Europe. From the ashes of Frank-in-Stein Inn rose the Kopper Keg Tavern on Old Highway 99 in Burlington, Washington. Over the next fifteen years the Keg became the Rainier-Budweiser oasis of Skagit County.
Always on the lookout for additional challenges, Mike branched out in the late 1980s and founded Scribe, a resume-composing sideline for the county job seekers. Following the sale of the Kopper Keg in 1992, he purchased Business Pulse magazine which originated the “Best of…” Choice Awards that continue to this day. In later years, Michael busied himself focusing on subjects of personal interest. His efforts produced the following books: two volumes and When Seattle Was (2012 and 2014); the invaluable reference took Foreign Language Films and the Oscars (2018); and just before his death , a collection of 184 essays recalling his observations and experiences while working as a correspondent for the United Press International. (Desert Ramblings is available online through Amazon and is receiving many 5-star reviews).
Michael took the institution of marriage very seriously (the second time around) when he exchanged vows with Rilla Wilson in 1991. They shared happy homes (and beautiful gardens) in Glenhaven and Sedro Woolley, Washington.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Susan Barrett. He is survived by his devoted wife, Rilla, three step-children, Aaron Wilson, Hilary Berglund (Eric) and Gabriel Wilson. He is also survived by two sisters Patricia Jorgensen (Neil) and Rebecca Waschke (Marvin), three grandchildren, Kaycie and Emmett Knight, and Finley Walker; seven nephews and one niece, and longtime dear friends Roger Miller (Linda), Leo Eutsler (Patricia Coutts), and Julijs Elferts (Nancy).
Michael showed uncommon courage when faced with a diagnosis of aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma early in 2025 and to the very end summoned up the grave verdict, “It is what it is”. But in Michael Barret’s book of life there really wasn’t ever and end-only a fresh story and another ticket punched to a new adventure.
A memorial celebration of his life will be held at a date yet to be announced. The family suggests donations be made to Hospice of the Northwest, Mount Vernon.
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