Phillip Garceau

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(Jan. 25, 1955 - Oct. 15, 2016)

Phillip J. Garceau, age 61, of 1226 Sequoia Drive in Powell, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 15, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by loving family while under the remarkable care of nurses and medical staff at the Billings Clinic Intensive Care Cancer unit.

Phillip was born Jan. 25, 1955, in Marquette, Michigan, the son of Francis N. and Ruth (Johnson) Garceau. He attended Bishop Baraga and Marquette Senior High School and graduated with the later class of 1973. He attended the Northern Michigan University skill center and was an electrician retired from the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company in 2005. Phil then became the Operations Manager and Digital Studio Technician for Christine Garceau Photography until the studio closed in August 2012. Many of the stock photography images he produced during this time continue to be purchased and used for commercial applications around the world.

After moving to Wyoming in 2012, Phil became an active Day Trader with the Tasty Trade Group out of Chicago, and enjoyed photographing and fly fishing in the world class trout streams that surrounded him in Wyoming and Montana. He enjoyed camping in California and Michigan in the summers and traveling to Ireland, Austria, The Czech Republic, Germany, and more recently traveling with the Northwest College Photographic Communications program to Cuba (2013) and Argentina-Uruguay (2015).

Phil and his wife Christine served as members of the International Friendship family support organization at Northwest College from 2012-2016 hosting students from South Africa, Abu Dhabi, Yemen, Pakistan, China, and Morocco for family meals, holiday parties, and day trips into the surrounding Park County area. Phil also enjoyed an active life as a member of local bowling teams in Marquette and Powell. He particularly enjoyed weekend road trips to Yellowstone National Park to observe wildlife and a quick cast with his fly rod into the Yellowstone, Gibbon, or Soda Butte rivers.

Survivors include his son Peter J. Garceau, California and wife of 40 years, Christine M (McLaughlin) Garceau, Wyoming. He is also survived by sisters Fran (Jim Tray) Florida, Veronica (Tom Parris) Arizona, Mary Grobar, Michigan and brothers, James Garceau of Michigan and Doug (Allison Garceau), Texas, and several nieces and nephews. Phil was preceded in death by his parents Francis and Ruth Garceau and brother-in-law Gary Grobar.

A memorial for family and friends will be held in the Marquette area in July of 2017. Memorials may be directed to Save the Wild UP, savethewildup.org/get-involved/contribute/, and/or The Wyoming Outdoor Council, wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/onlinedonation/.

Arrangements are by Cremation & Funeral Gallery. Condolences can be sent through www.cfgbillings.com through “Our Families.”

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