A great American hero has been lost with the passing of Louis Bauchan, who was the last known surviving lighthouse keeper of the United States Lighthouse Service, which was dissolved in 1939.
Bauchan, 91, passed away at his Cheboygan, Michigan home this past April.
Bauchan served as a lighthouse keeper at various Great Lakes lighthouses including St. Martins Island, Poverty Island, Chicago Harbor and Pointe Betsie. He also served on the Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw. Wearing his lighthouse keeper’s uniform he was a fixture at each year’s Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival and other lighthouse events where he was always more than willing to share his memories and many photographs. Being a lighthouse keeper was more than a job to him. During his days as a lighthouse keeper he kept a detailed photographic account of his days in the U.S. Lighthouse Service and later the U.S. Coast Guard. With the help of his family those photographs and his memories have been recorded for future generations. I’ll never forget the first time I met him; he was one of those people that you liked instantly. Not only was he part of the “Greatest Generation”, he was a hero of it. He left a legacy that will go down in history, there will never be another like him; he will be dearly missed. Our condolences go out to his family.
In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be sent to Friends of Pointe Betsie Lighthouse, P.O. Box 601, Frankfort, MI 49635.
Sympathy cards can be sent to – The Bauchan Family, P.O. Box 730, Houghton Lake, MI 48629-0730.