R.I.P. Michael Anthony Alfred Ethier
Back in 1975, I met Mike Ethier when I joined the 51st Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We developed a mutual obsession with tactical war games, like Avalon Hill's Panzer Leader and other board games. Through a group of friends, Mike and I explored Iron Men and Wooden Ships, Richthofen's War, Ace of Aces, among others.
I left home to serve in the Canadian Forces in 1977, and lost track of Mike until shortly after I retired from the Forces in 2013. Mike had retired from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2011, after 25 years of service, and was living in the Comox Valley, just outside of my choice of retirement location in Comox. We met at the Comox Air Force Museum, and from that day in 2017 spent pretty much a day a week playing chess and other games. Wings of Glory being my passion, we played many games and versions of aerial combat simulations from that time.
If you look through my posts, you will find quite a few games in which Mike participated, including two campaigns using the rules developed by Andrea Angiolino. He assisted with Battlestar Galactica Starship Battles, Tripods and Triplanes, and both versions of Wings of Glory. He was the reason I played any tabletop miniature games from March 2020 to present.
Mike, Steve and Shane [SkyGuy001] at Games & Grounds (a FLGS) in Courtenay, December 2018.
November 2019, Santa and Snoopy against the Luftstreitkräfte.
Mike Ethier and Shane Dalager [SkyGuy001] at the Comox Air Force Museum for a 'Last Saturday of the Month - Wings of Glory' game on 29 February 2020 (the last game just before COVID-19 shut down all social gatherings for two years!)
We recently started throwing discs at trees (Disc Golf) to get us both out of the house and fill our lungs with fresh air. Still, this turned into a thing of tactics and planning, becoming slightly competitive. Mike got the better score in our second last game.
He was a quite, gentle soul, a loving, patient husband and father of two wonderful ladies, which was at great odds with his career and hobby. But, his sharp analytical mind and formidable memory made any gaming encounter a serious challenge.
Mike was never a member of this Forum, being that he avoided computers for the most part, and completely avoided social media. He didn't even have a cell phone, let alone a smart phone. His influence on this Forum, although not direct, will be missed. I haven't had a miniature out of a box in two months, and not likely to have them out in the near future. So, if you haven't seen me post any recent After Action Reports since 18 March 2022, that is Mike's absence having its effect.
If you think of it, send a positive vibe or prayer this way on 21 May 2022, around 2:30 PM (PST), when family and friends will be holding a Celebration of Life for Mike.
Michael A.A. Ethier
14 Sep 1960 - 18 Mar 2022
Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte
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