Obituary: Novakovich, Randy
He was born February 7, 1948 in Sheridan, Wyoming.
He and his family moved to Spokane when he was 3 years old and then to Colville in the summer of 1961.
He quickly settled into life enjoying the city park and pool and Junior High School.
He was a superior athlete competing in Colville High School: football, two years of undefeated teams, basketball, the state tournament team and track, participation in the Class A State meet in 1966.
Randy graduated from Colville High in 1966, and went to Colorado State University on a football scholarship.
He attended college until the early seventies, and then went to work as an Engineering Tech for the state.
Life as an Engineering Tech along the county road certainly did not fit Randy and when the Alaska pipe line called in the mid seventies he was gone and spent the next twenty-five years working above the Arctic Circle, and along the pipe line from construction through maintenance.
His usual work schedule was six months on, working seven twelves, and then he was off to see the world and when he was broke and headed back to Alaska we all would hear from him.
His travels sent him from Baja to Costa Rica, and all across Mexico.
Then the yearlong classic adventure: Volkswagen bus across Europe from Amsterdam to London and on to Croatia, locating and living with his father’s family of origin.
It was back on the road to new and exciting places and people and eventually back to Alaska to save for the next journey.
The second big journey in life took him to Australia and New Zealand to visit an old friend from ten years prior that he had met in London.
He liked it so well he made three additional trips back to Australia, and stopped along the way in Hawaii to work for a couple months and then back on the road.
The end of the road always seemed like the Colville/Spokane area to visit friends and family and share experiences before he was off again.
Randy eventually left Alaska, bought a motor home, moved back to the Northwest and went to work for the Federal Hwy.
Commission/Department of Transportation building roads in National Parks and Scenic By-Ways.
His many stops on that tour included Yellowstone, Denali, and Mt.
Rainier, Stevens Pass, White Pass, and many other beautiful locations around the west.
We will miss Randy, he was a wanderlust, that out Kerouaced, Jack Kerouac of “On The Road,” a child of the universe, a great friend, a gentle giant and a gentleman that made Tim Leary and The Merry Pranksters in their magic bus look like a bunch of “pikers.”
He had a wonderful way of knowing when things were not right with people and had a special way of pulling you out of a hole, with a big smile and saying, “come on”, we are going to go do something.
We will all miss you “Big Guy”.
Randy was preceded in death by his parents Lester and Marie Novakovich.
He is survived by his brother Mike Novakovich (Sandy), sister Linda Kane (Jim).
Also his nephews Joe Kane, Chad and Brian Novakovich and niece Kelly Moorman.
He leaves behind his good friends Brad and Chris and many others.
No service at his request just an informal gathering of his loved ones on March 3, 2013.