Leon Charles Michaelsen

Early life: Leon was born at home, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Charles F. and Maude Mae Michaelsen (nee Crane) on August 17, 1927. They were hard working parents dedicated to raising their family in a very difficult time for all of America. Charles owned a tire store and Maude was a part-time teacher and seamstress. Leon had one sibling, a brother Crane, who was his elder by about four years. Leon excelled in school at a very early age, especially mathematics. His mother once said Leon gained his knowledge of arithmetic combinations by the age of five by quietly playing dice on the floor at her feet while she ran PTA meetings and did other community volunteer work. The young family moved to Santa Ana, California when Leon was a teenager in an attempt to find better opportunities than the Great Depression and drought-ravaged Oklahoma could provide.

Young adulthood: Leon adapted very easily to his new surroundings in California by being involved in all types of school activities, in addition to his laid back attitude and ability to get along with just about any character. He was quite athletically gifted as well as having a talent for writing. He had several compositions published in local newspapers as well as widely circulated magazines, one of which earned him a prize of $25 which was a handsome sum of money in those days. He also developed a love for movies as a teenager, a hobby he continued his entire life. Upon reaching employment age, he worked as a delivery man for Arden Farms in the well-to-do suburbs of Los Angeles. Despite his family coming from a much simpler lifestyle, Leon undoubtedly adapted to these surroundings quite well given his exceptional social skills. In fact, he delivered milk to well known celebrities such as Bette Davis. After graduating from high school, Leon enlisted in the Navy near the end of World War II. He served as an Electronic Technician where his first duties involved the installation and testing of then-state-of-the-art electronics into a recently commissioned Gearing Class Destroyer, the USS Forrest Royal, DD-872. He was honorably discharged upon completion of his obligation.

Education: After discharge from the Navy, Leon attended Caltech University. He studied Mechanical Engineering as well as continuing his love for extra-curricular activities. In addition to lettering in sports such as football, basketball, baseball and track, Leon served as athletic director for his residence hall as well as athletic editor for the university newspaper. Leon would be the first to admit that he “just squeaked by” with his degree from Caltech. He would regularly suggest, in his usual modest, humble way, that he wasn’t smart enough to succeed at a distinguished school like Caltech, but all that knew him understood that was certainly not the case. He would eventually admit his scholastic struggles stemmed from his priorities perhaps being misplaced. However, being a challenging and elite engineering school, he easily landed a rewarding job with Shell Oil Co. Of even greater importance to the Michaelsen family, during college he met his true love Frances on a blind-date, who was attending nearby USC.

Professional Career: Leon started his career with Shell Oil as a field engineer specializing in oil well drilling. This took him all across the southwestern United States, during which time the family lived in Ventura, CA, Farmington NM, and Phoenix AZ. These frequent moves yielded many lifelong friends that Leon and Frances maintained their entire lives. In Phoenix, Leon briefly left the oilfield industry and gained manufacturing and plant management experience with Reynolds Metals. After a short time with Reynolds, he was offered an attractive position within an up-and-coming oilfield supply company called Oil Base Incorporated. He began a long career with OBI upon relocating first to New Orleans for a short time and subsequently to Houston, where the family settled down for decades. OBI was a young, growing company and Leon quickly became an integral part of their expansion process as he oversaw the construction and start-up of new plants and transportation facilities in places as far away as Europe. Upon retiring from OBI, Leon was not finished working as an engineer. In addition to staying busy as a consultant, he later worked for the Texas Air Control Board as a permit engineer. He did eventually retire and began enjoying his golden years with his beloved wife.

Personal Life: Even though his family and professional life took precedence over his other interests, Leon continued pursuing his love for athletics by coaching many baseball teams for both sons during their youth. He was also a big fan of all professional teams in the Houston area. He continued his love for writing by penning many letters to his congressmen as well as the editor of the local newspapers. Although usually political in nature, he had a wonderful outlook on all things social to provide witty and thoughtful commentary on many current events of varied subject matter. He and Frances maintained many long lasting friendships, with playing bridge a mainstay of their get-togethers. In addition to a fondness for card games, Leon amassed a huge collection of self-recorded movies to rival any video rental store. Throughout his life, Leon was quite talented at home improvement projects and never shied away from any sized project. He also loved to travel both as a family and as a part of his job.

Family Life: Leon married his true soul mate, Frances Echols, in 1953 and stayed completely devoted to her until her passing in 2009. Their love for and dedication to each other as spouses and parents provide a perfect example for all. They raised and endlessly provided for three children, Melanie, Brian, and Scott, who all took advantage of the solid foundation provided by Leon and Frances to lead successful lives of their own. Melanie followed ancestors from both sides of the family into education while Brian and Scott are both currently employed as engineers in manufacturing and plant management, just like their father. Leon was a wonderful model as a loving husband, caring father, and loyal friend.

Leon passed away May 25, 2011 due to complications from several illnesses, among them diabetes and dementia. He slipped away peacefully in his sleep and has now rejoined the love of his life, Frances. The blessing is that both are finally pain free, resting comfortably and together again. Leon was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, and his parents, Charles and Maude, and his brother Crane. He leaves behind an amazing legacy and grateful descendants including his 3 children, Melanie, Brian, and Scott, along with 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, all of whom will miss him dearly, but count their blessings for his lasting influence upon their lives.