Louis Charles Barbieri

In loving memory of Louis Charles Barbieri Jr., who passed away on September 7th, 2014, at the VA Hospital in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 86. He was born to Vada and Louis Charles Barbieri Sr., and raised in San Francisco, California with his brother Richard. Lou joined the Army Air Corps in September 1946, where he was an automotive mechanic. He was a member of the Mill Right Union and in 1952, in Carmel, California, he married his first wife Bev.

His hobbies included skiing, reading Louis L’Amour westerns, watching pro and college football, inventing, going out to breakfast with friends, John Welch, Mac Ferguson, Jonathan Platt and other friends and family. This is a quote from Mac Ferguson: “Lou was a man who deserved our respect, touched our lives with his levity, and never took his good friends for granted.”He brightened up the world with his sense of humor, love of life and boundless energy. Everywhere he went, he touched the lives of the people he met with his unforgettable personality.

In 1952, at Donner Pass, California a train ran into a 4 foot snow drift during a blizzard. It was the worst snow storm in 15 years. Lou was one of the first people on the ski patrol rescue team to reach the 175 stranded people with food. It took 3 days and 1000 workers to get the people off the pass.

Lou spent years traveling with his wife Bev and their six children to overseas jobs. He worked as a mechanical engineer for several companies. He built the machinery for a strawberry processing plant in Jacona, Michoacan Mexico in 1962. He worked on a hydroelectric project (dam) for Kaiser Corporation in Kremasta, Greece in 1964. Lou was the mechanical superintendent for Utah, Martin and Day, in Korat, Thailand in 1966. He also worked on a hydroelectric project (dam) for Kaiser Corporation in Guri, Venezuela around 1968. The last overseas company he worked for was Rigging International in Oahu, Hawaii in 1970.

In 1974, Lou moved with his family to Seattle to work on the first container cranes on Harbor Island. Over the years, Lou owned several fabrication shops. He opened his first business in Alviso, California in 1957. Later he opened Imagineering Inc., Dimensional Engineering and Widget Works in Seattle. Lou became a respected fixture in Seattle’s industrial fabrication market for firms serving Alaska, Canada, and the Far East.

Lou was incredibly innovative and patented several inventions. He loved to figure out ways to make machines work more efficiently or come up with a completely new concept. A couple of his inventions were the Uni Track and Snowbird. The all-terrain vehicles were used in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Companies called Lou when something broke down and a quick solution was required. He could always come up with a concept, draw up blueprints, and fabricate what they needed.

His skill and techniques of making use of spare parts and otherwise discarded materials permitted many of his customers to find he’d made those discards do the work of new. Lou was always tackling problems and developing solutions that were novel and served his customer’s needs.

In 1976, he married Candace Mattson. They moved to West Seattle and helped raise her two children. Lou and Candace opened Widget Works, a metal fabrication shop on Harbor Island. He and his wife Candace enjoyed a broad circle of friends.

He is preceded in death by parents Vada & Louis Barbieri Sr.; brother Richard Barbieri; eldest son Jeff Barbieri. He is survived by his wife Candace; step children Melodee and Tim Mattson; 4 step grandchildren; ex-wife Bev and their remaining children Jill Barbieri- Warner, Joy McEldrey, Jerry Barbieri, John Barbieri, and Jay Barbieri; 12 grandchildren; & 7 great- grandchildren.

He was incredibly generous. Even when business was slow, he would not lay anyone off. He always wanted to help anyone in need, including many Vietnam refugees who fled Vietnam and taught them skills to earn a living in America. HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Lou's favorite charity , Seadrunar 10344 14th Ave S. ,Seattle, Washington 98168, a drug rehabilitation center.