Michael Therriault

Mike Therriault, 1947-2025

Mike Therriault, a man of many unique and somewhat eccentric characteristics, passed away on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Benedictine Health Care (BHC) in Minneapolis at the age of 78. Mike was accompanied on that day by his long-time loving domestic partner, Gayle Groebner. His body will be cremated, and no service is planned. However, his friends have planned a memorial social gathering celebrating Mike's life, to be held later this month.

Mike, the oldest of seven siblings in a working-class family, was born at Old Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis on July 6, 1947, to Kenneth Therriault and Lorraine Lois Sjoblom. After his mother divorced and remarried, stepdad Bob Holden was part of the family for years at their home on Cedar Avenue. Mike was preceded in death by sister Pat, mother Lorraine, father Kenneth Therriault, stepfather Bob Holden, and half-brothers Bobby, Gary, and Larry. Mike is survived by half-sisters Terry and Robin and by nieces and nephews Steven Andrews, Rheanna Jones, Cindy Arends, Jason, Sahara, and Michael Holden, Nicole Marson, and Erick and Alex Mendele.

Mike briefly attended DeLaSalle and graduated South High School in the mid-1960s, briefly attended Nazarene Hall Catholic school, and then attended the University of Minnesota in the late 1960s, majoring in psychology. He was married for a short time and fathered no children.

In the 1960s, Mike joined the anti-war and anti-draft activities that flourished in the Twin Cities. Through the Twin Cities Draft Information Center and on campus, he met many new friends and comrades. In early 1970, a group of protesters removed thousands of draft files from the county and state Selective Service offices in St. Paul-an action for which no one was ever arrested. In July 1970, Mike and a group of others planned to raid five small town draft offices in Minnesota and ended up raiding four. They were caught in the act in three of those cities and became known as the "Minnesota Eight". Among them, Mike and Frank Kroncke were arrested in Little Falls and were later tried before Judge Philip Neville.

Seven of that group were tried and convicted of federal crimes and sentenced to five years imprisonment or to indeterminate sentences. They served from fourteen to twenty months in prison and were released in July 1973. At Sandstone Federal Correctional Institution in Minnesota, Mike joined a lively fellowship of draft resisters, conscientious objectors, and draft raiders of twenty or more on any one date. His easygoing outward nature made forming friendship easy in a stressful environment. Always extremely fit, he enjoyed outdoor handball and running and basketball both indoors and out.

After prison, Mike began his years of picking tree fruit at harvest time in Washington and later in southern California, often traveling by freight train. While picking apples in Washington's Yakima Valley, he met Gayle Groebner, and their friendship grew into a partnership of fifty years.

He also developed his long-standing practice of scavenging and salvaging food. He celebrated gardening at home for many years, digging up every square foot of the boulevard and much of the yard. Dumpster diving fit his reliance on a three-speed bicycle and his frugal lifestyle, and it yielded lots of good food for his family and friends. Playing tennis and horseshoes were other favorite pastimes. A gifted athlete, Mike had a defensive style that was hard to beat. He also put in steady work at North Country Co-op and then years of employment at the food co-op distributor in Minneapolis. Mike socked away most of his earnings in a few careful, socially responsible investments.

Ten or more years ago, Mike's friends began noticing his gradual memory loss and indications of dementia. He had to give up his beloved bicycling and dumpster diving and mostly stayed home in the Pink House he and Gayle owned, working sudoku puzzles and listening to music channels. Beginning in late 2020, Mike was moved to memory care facilities.

Deep gratitude is due to the caregivers, nurses, and aides at Pillars of Prospect Park and at BHC, who provided kind and compassionate support throughout Mike's stay.