Randall "Randy" Moreau

Randall Ray Moreau passed at the age of 67 on May 22, 2024. Randy was born November 25, 1956, in Appleton, WI to the late Ray and Marcille (Marcie) Moreau. He and his younger brother Robert (a.k.a. Robby, Rob & Bob) grew up in the ranch style house that their father built just outside of Appleton. Summers were spent at their cottage in Fremont on the Wolf River where there were many barbecues with friends and relatives from both sides of the family. Both grew to be voracious readers beginning with comic strips in the paper and then to a wide variety of comic books that changed the course of their lives. Marcie always found a way to get both of her sons the new releases every week down at Jerry’s Pipe Shop on College Avenue. 

Because of his interest in comics Randy became a pretty good artist. And at Appleton West High School he joined the drama club and found he had a talent for that too. Randy memorably played King Arthur in the musical Camelot and then starred in the Attic Theatre production of Butterflies Are Free at Lawrence College.

Post High School he became a communications major in film and television attending UW Stevens Point and found the time to write and draw some short comic stories in the student newspaper. He also made a few short films before graduating in 1980 including Little One and the memorable Bomb Threat that was partly filmed right on College Avenue and starred his best friends, Rick Behm and Rick Bollenbeck of Appleton. 

After graduation, Randy ended up working in Green Bay at mostly the WGBA NBC 26 station where he became the “voice of the station” which included voice work for some regional businesses. He worked tirelessly in the traffic department making sure commercials ran on time, etc., but also found the time to work on, and star in some locally produced shows, he hosted two Saturday Night Wrestling shows as “Arch Mess” (a wise-cracking former wrestler) which co-started Earl The Dead Cat (!) and, in 1984, as “Doc Moreau” in Ned The Dead, a part of Chiller Theater, that for the bulk of its time aired after Saturday Night Live. Ned became a regional hit and Randy was even scheduled to make a live appearance in Oshkosh the week of his passing.

Randy was a pop culture nerd before pop culture was even a thing. He loved comics, a plethora of TV shows, Star Trek and Star Wars, Film Noir, Marvel Comics and the MCU, Turner Classic Movies and with rare exception watched White Christmas and Christmas In Connecticut every holiday season.

In 1984 Randy married Mary Margaret Herbst and her daughter Shan-Marie, became a welcome part of the family. And Shan recounts that “When Randy joined the family that lived at Shady Lane, he brought with him a joy and laughter that had never been known in that house before.”

Randy loved his friends and family and would have liked to show thanks to his aunts Shirley Rasmussen and the late Lorraine Schroeder whose support he appreciated more than they might have realized after the passing of his mother, Marcie.

Shan and Rob would like to thank Rick Behm who was friends with him throughout his life and went above and beyond mere friendship especially in the time leading up to his passing.

Also special thanks to Zach Wilson, also a true friend, of Powerhouse Comics in Appleton where Randy was a longtime customer.

Rob Moreau would like Shan and Mark Garpetti to know that there are no words to describe the appreciation of what they’ve done for Randy at the end of his life. They are the living embodiment of what is kind and good in this world. He owes them his gratitude for the rest of his life.

And finally, Shan and Rob would also like to thank the staff at ThedaCare Medical Center-Appleton for their care and compassion shown to Randy.

Randy will be missed but he will live on in the fond memories of all of those whose lives he touched.

A memorial is planned for Saturday, July 13 at 1 PM at the Picnic Pavilion at Linwood Park located at 401 N. Douglas St. in Appleton. Tributes and remembrances are welcome, and in case of a large attendance, lawn chairs or blankets are suggested.