Maverick

[hikeaz]

I have heard some disturbing, but as yet unconfirmed news regarding Maverick & Shirley. I'll update this thread ASAP.

[Jeffshadows]

The older backpacking guy??

[azbackpackr]

I've met him. What has happened?

[Vaporman]

Does it have something to do with this?

2 bodies found in Grand Canyon housing area
by Sasha Malekooti - Feb. 5, 2009 10:46 AM
The Arizona Republic
Two dead bodies were discovered in a Grand Canyon National Park housing area early Thursday morning after the park's rangers responded to a 911 call.

It was not certain whether the bodies were those of park employees, Park service officials said. The victims have not yet been positively identified, said Maureen Oltrogge, Grand Canyon public affairs officer.

The 911 call was made around 12:30 a.m., and the rangers responded shortly after, according to a news release from the National Park Service.

The FBI was called in to help assist with the investigation, Oltrogge said.

There are several different housing areas within the park that accommodate a variety of park employees, Oltrogge said. The housing area where the bodies were found is a trailer park, she said. Most park employees live in the residence areas.

[Al_HikesAZ]

Arizona Daily Sun story this morning confirms it
Canyon deaths likely murder-suicide
Sources identify the dead as two elderly residents of Grand Canyon Village.

By CYNDY COLE
Sun Staff Reporter
Friday, February 06, 2009

Two people, whose bodies were recovered just after midnight Thursday at the Grand Canyon, likely died as a result of a murder- suicide, the National Park Service announced Thursday.

The bodies were found by someone who called 911 to report the deaths of two individuals in the western part of Grand Canyon Village, in a residential trailer in the park. Investigators had not released the identity of the victims as of early Thursday evening, said Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge, though park personnel had been in the home to attempt medical help if possible.

Several people who were familiar with the case identified the two dead as Grand Canyon hiker Laurent "Maverick" Gaudreau, 82, and Grand Canyon Association employee Shirley Gaudreau, 73.

Several familiar with the case also confirmed that the home of the Gaudreaus was blocked off for investigators.

The two married after meeting at the park more than a decade ago.

Federal officials confirmed it was likely a murder-suicide.

There was no evidence of a third person involved, according to the National Park Service.

Maverick Gaudreau completed at least 82 rim-to-rim hikes across the Grand Canyon by his 80th birthday in 2006 and has written a number of inspirational columns for the Grand Canyon News.

Shirley Gaudreau has been an employee at several book stores along the South Rim.

The National Park Service and FBI are investigating.

[Jeffshadows]

That's horrible.

[JoelHazelton]

Quite disturbing

[Vaporman]

That's crazy...

[PaleoRob]

That's terrible! What sad news...

[big_load]

Sad indeed. I wonder if one of them had become incapacitated, or was expecting incapacity in the near future.

[Davis2001r6]

Sad indeed. I wonder if one of them had become incapacitated, or was expecting incapacity in the near future.

I wondered the same thing.

[Dschur]

From the Grand Canyon News...

Friday, February 06, 2009

Grand Canyon National Park officials confirmed that longtime Grand Canyon residents Laurent "Rim to Rim Maverick," 82, and Shirley Gaudreau, 73, were found with gunshot wounds in their Pinion Park home.

According to park Public Affairs Officer Maureen Oltrogge, there was evidence of shooting and that "gunshot wounds or wounds" appeared to be the cause of death.

Maverick, who was originally from Massachusetts, moved to the Canyon 11 years ago. He'd been coming for infrequent hikes for about three decades when he encountered residents on the trail who told him about employment opportunities. He was hired as a server at Maswik Cafeteria.


Shirley had been here 13 years, coming from Fresno, Calif., following a divorce. She too worked at Maswik and, according to Maverick in a 2004 interview, "She chased me until I caught her."

Most recently, Shirley worked at Grand Canyon Association's bookstores, while Maverick pursued his hiking goals in the Canyon. They hiked together as well, until bunion problems forced Shirley to confine her walks to the rim.

The pair shared a regular column in the Grand Canyon News, Maverick focusing on inspirational topics and his struggles with self-improvement and Shirley chronicling life in Grand Canyon Village.

In 2004, when he was 78, Maverick set what seemed an ambitious goal - 30 rim-to-rim hikes in one year. Achieving that, in his 80th year he set his sights even higher, striving to complete one rim-to-rim hike for every year of his life. He finished with more than 100 crossings and for an encore had hoped to retrace Colin Fletcher's trek from Havasu to the Little Colorado and Nankoweap - a trip that would have required between $10,000-$20,000 in backing. He had one sponsorship with Go-Lite, a maker of lightweight camping gear, which was in line with his obsession with shaving as much weight as possible from his load. He was working with a Rhode Island teacher on a book about his life, with proceeds to go to a fund to help youth.

Laurent "Maverick" Gaudreau and his wife, Shirley, were regular contributors to the Grand Canyon News

[azbackpackr]

Doesn't it seem odd that they would choose this time to die BEFORE he is finished with his book? I just think there is more to this than we might want to contemplate. You just never do know what goes on between two people in a relationship. I did meet Maverick, but I won't comment on the meeting in public, because he did not leave a very favorable impression with either me or my friends on a hike in Supai where we met him. I'm sorry if this offends people, but it's what happened.

However, I do think it is very, very sad what happened with him and his wife. I certainly did wish him well.

[Jeffshadows]

I wonder if this is somehow linked to the economy...

[Hoffmaster]

I did meet Maverick, but I won't comment on the meeting in public, because he did not leave a very favorable impression with either me or my friends

You did comment about this in another thread some time back. It might have been on the other site. I remember it. When I was reading about this incident on this site and another site and reading all of the condolences and nice things that people had to say, I was thinking, "I don't know him, so I have nothing to say, but I do know at least one person who has nothing favorable to say about him!" There's nothing wrong with that. I hate when people feel obligated to sugarcoat their feelings towards someone, just because that person died.

[Davis2001r6]

I wonder if this is somehow linked to the economy...

Jeff I wondered the same thing, along with bigloads reply. Sad either way.

I did meet him once as well, Dec of 07 at the backcountry office one morning. I was getting a permit and he was off on the shuttle so it wasn't a long talk by any means.

Still hoping a little more will come out on the story.

[Jeffshadows]

I wonder if this is somehow linked to the economy...

Jeff I wondered the same thing, along with bigloads reply. Sad either way.

I did meet him once as well, Dec of 07 at the backcountry office one morning. I was getting a permit and he was off on the shuttle so it wasn't a long talk by any means.

Still hoping a little more will come out on the story.

Yea, I hate to hear about these kinds of things.

[Al_HikesAZ]

This was in the Grand Canyon News.

911 call preceded Grand Canyon shooting

Jackie Brown Associate Grand Canyon News Editor Sunday, February 08, 2009

Laurent "Maverick" Gaudreau made the early-morning 911 call last Thursday that summoned rangers to his Pinion Park home, where the 82-year-old was found dead with his wife, Shirley, 73.

Grand Canyon National Park Public Affairs Officer Maureen Oltrogge said that by the time rangers reached the scene, no one was alive in the house. They summoned an evidence recovery team from Phoenix and in the meantime, they canvassed the area and questioned neighbors. Oltrogge said investigators took those steps out of caution, not because of any information in the 911 call or at the scene.

"We wanted everything done in the best manner possible," she said. "We didn't know whether or not something might be needed in court later."

Investigation pointed to Maverick as the shooter. The preliminary cause of death, according to the medical examiner's office, was gunshot wounds made by a rifle.

Patty Brookins, Retail Manager at Grand Canyon Association where Shirley worked, said they are making plans for a memorial service, though no time frame has been set. She said it is based on the family's wishes and when the medical examiner releases the bodies. Shirley's daughter, son-in-law and grandson are expected to be here next week, with Xanterra providing the rooms. Brookins said they have been unable to locate any family for Maverick.

"We think he might have an ex-wife," she said. "We don't think he has any kids. We never heard him talk about any."

The tragedy has been hard on the close-knit Grand Canyon community, where the Gaudreaus were embraced - Maverick for his eccentricity and refusal to act his age, Shirley for being a sheer delight. They were admired as a pair for their closeness and for having seemingly found their place and purpose in their later years. Maverick had logged thousands of miles below the rim, including 106 Canyon crossings in his 80th year totaling more than 2,400 miles. Shirley worked at a bookstore run by Grand Canyon Association, which supports the park through the sales of educational books and materials.

Their home in the Pinion Park housing area was a modest, single-wide trailer, neat, bright and cared for inside and out. They owned a reservation dog, Buddy, who was the subject of one of Shirley's columns. He was not harmed and is with a friend.

"The whole community is the kind of place were people wrap their arms around each other when something goes bad," said Brookins. "That's what's happening here."

Rick Wiles, pastor of Grand Canyon Baptist Church, has been providing grief counseling for Shirley's co-workers at Grand Canyon Association and former colleagues at Delaware North. He said he is available to anyone else in the community who might want to talk, as are other local pastors Jared Long of the Community Church and Debbie and Brian Fulthorp of the Assemblies of God.

He said that while people may not be able to make sense of what happened, they can work through their reaction to it.

"There may be no answers," he said. "Sometimes just talking through things, sharing and expressing how you feel can help you get through things."

His advice is to look at the couple's life in its larger context and not focus on its heartbreaking end.

"One thing we share as individuals is that we can make the choice - we can look at the last three or four days or we can look at how we knew them as a couple and remember that," he said.

[azbackpackr]

Last night I spoke to an acquaintance of mine who lives and works at the park. What he had to say was so disturbing I'm not going to even put very much of it in this post.

Yes, you are right, Matt, that I had good reasons to not like Maverick, although I admired his fitness at his age. What I heard only bears this out. Suffice to say that people that knew them both are mostly mourning Shirley. My friend said she was a very sweet lady, and was universally loved by the residents there.

And one more thing, the article got it wrong. It was a shotgun, not a rifle. Big difference there, for the EMTs to find.

[azbackpackr]

This is from the Flagstaff newspaper, the AZ Daily Sun:

Rangers: 'Maverick' was shooter
Friends and family are at a loss to explain the Grand Canyon murder-suicide, saying there had been no history of violence or mistreatment. By CYNDY COLE
Sun Staff Reporter
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Well-known Grand Canyon hiker Laurent "Maverick" Gaudreau, 82, fired gunshots and called emergency dispatchers minutes before park rangers found him and his wife dead on Thursday, the Park Service said Monday.

The investigation points to him as the apparent shooter of his wife, 73-year-old Shirley Gaudreau, before taking his own life, the Park Service confirmed Monday. Park investigators gave no motive. Nor would they discuss the contents of a call Maverick made to emergency dispatchers shortly before killing himself.

Emergency-response rangers arrived at the Grand Canyon Village home in approximately 15 minutes, but arrived to find both dead, said Park Service investigator Chris Smith.

They then obtained a search warrant for the home.

Shirley Gaudreau's daughter, Diane Caldwell, had spoken with her mother by phone, and said everything sounded fine with her mom.

"I talked to her the night this happened, and everything was OK," Caldwell said.

There was no history of violence or anger, said Diane and her husband, Victor.

"This man treated my mom like a queen ... that's what is so unreal about this," she said.

FANATICAL BUT PLEASANT

Friends who had known and hiked with Maverick Gaudreau in recent years said that although he was fanatical about completing as many rim-to-rim hikes as possible, he was generally pleasant, and not angry or violent or unkind to his wife.

He was "a peaceful man to hike with. Very mellow. I enjoyed it very much," said Victor Caldwell, who logged hundreds of miles in the Grand Canyon with Maverick, and hiked Mount Whitney with him.

Maverick had served as an X-ray technician in the Air Force in the West Pacific, and had gone to college to become an instructor for children with reading disabilities in Denver before moving to the Grand Canyon, said fellow hiker Allan Blair, who estimates he spent more than 100 days hiking with Maverick.

He planned to co-author a book, and sometimes had business plans for nutrition drinks and other investments, Blair said.

A recovered alcoholic, Laurent took "Maverick" as his name for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings while living in Moab, and sometimes used the phrase "if I was a drinking man, I'd drink to that," to indicate when he agreed with someone, Blair said.

Maverick was once ticketed for camping in a location for which he did not have a permit, so he challenged it and won, Blair said. It was one of several instances when he was camping where he was not allowed to in the canyon.

Victor Caldwell remembered him as a hiker and backpacker who followed rules to the letter. He and Shirley policed the trail as a volunteers.

FAILING MEMORY?

Linda Popp, of Tusayan, also logged long miles with Maverick, including some very long one-day hikes, but recently the two had hiked together less frequently because Popp wanted to explore trails that weren't part of the rim-to-rim.

"He was trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, was what he was trying to do," she said.

He handed out business cards along the trail with his name and the line "inspire to perspire."

And he hoped to be on the Oprah Winfrey show, Popp said.

Popp had removed cactus burrs from uncomfortable areas for him, and hiked with him far and wide. He offered her warmer boots when she was cold, she said, and gave her camping gear.

She remembered one time he was upset with her for hiking ahead, where he tried to leave her behind when they met up again. Generally, he wanted friends to seek out time with him, instead of him calling them, she said.

Lately, something about him had changed, she said.

"Several people would say he was getting maybe senile because they saw him and they knew that he knew them and he acted like he didn't know him ... there was some sort of change, like he wasn't himself," she said.

This had happened to her as well, when she stopped to talk to Maverick at the Post Office and he acted unfamiliar with her.

Those who knew him said Maverick had no children, to their knowledge, but had been previously married.

A MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER

Born in Denver, Shirley Gaudreau was a hard-working woman who sometimes held two jobs, a mother to Diane and a grandmother to a grandson in California.

She was a secretary for an accountant in Fresno for 30 years before moving to the Grand Canyon.She worked for the state's board of equalization in California, then for multiple retailers at the South Rim before joining the Grand Canyon Association.

Shirley had previously been married to a man who was sometimes verbally and physically abusive before she left California, daughter Diane Caldwell said.

"She had a hard life, from the time she was born 'til now," Diane said.

Shirley loved working for the Grand Canyon Association, and broke records selling new memberships for the organization, Caldwell remembered. It was one of the things her mom discussed sometimes.

Although she once hiked many parts of the canyon, the last couple years had brought foot problems for Shirley, making walking more difficult, Diane said.

Diane and Victor had tried to convince Shirley and Maverick to move closer to them and their son, but she declined.

"She said, 'I love my job. I love the canyon. I love where I'm at,'" Diane remembered.

In the last of their nightly phone calls, Diane said, Shirley noted that her daughter sounded tired from working a lot.

And Shirley told her daughter she was proud of her.

Cyndy Cole can be reached at 913-8607.