Larry E. Comeaux II, known as "The Pipe Doctor", was an American artisan who took up the activity of pipe making on the encouragement of two artisan friends from Knoxville, M.O. Vickers and Robert Blackwell. He made pipes professionally for 35 years, having produced many freehands, exotic and sculpted pipes, as well as being a highly respected repairer. In 1986, he won the best freehand contest at the PCI Members Convention and was recognized by the Confrérie de Saint-Claude. He worked with Greek briar and vulcanite and lucite stems, producing between 100 and 250 pipes a year.
Larry died on Nov. 16, 2015.
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M.O. Vickers was a neighbor of mine in West Haven and was beloved by all his neighbors. He and I developed a close friendship. He helped me on several projects and we enjoyed yard sales. He gave me a cutting of curly willow. He made canes out of the limbs and often used pipe bowls for the handles. I have several of his hiking canes similar to ones he mad
and gave to someone who had a shop in the Gatlinburg area. He was an inventor and great innovator. He made a wonderful apple picker. He also would pick up bikes and fix them up for children and he made a great swing out of a small wheel. I truly miss that man. He lives on in my heart.
Mitchell O. Vickers was a beloved neighbor in West Haven. He was an inventor and innovator retired from Oak Ridge. We became good friends and enjoyed estate sales, working on refinishing projects together. He made a wonderful apple picker, a swing out of a small wheel, he would pick up bikes and fix them up for children in the neighborhood. His pipes went all over the world. He gave me a cutting of a curly willow. He used the limbs to make hiking canes and finished them with briarwood bowl for the hand to rest on after he developed macular degeneration & no longer was making pipes. I have several of his hiking canes. I miss that man and feel privileged to have been his friend.
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