Randy Suhr

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After growing up in Republic, a tiny town 43 miles west of Kettle Falls, Washington, Randy found his way to Eastern Washington University in Cheney, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Radio and TV Management. Randy says his crowning achievement in Cheney was getting high with Arlo Guthrie. Seriously.

Following graduation, he was hired by KOMO-TV in Seattle, in the shadow of the Space Needle. There, he worked in the production department and directed nightly newscasts. Randy often sat next to me in the control room (the director and producer are joined at the hip) and — inexplicably — made me look like the genius I clearly wasn’t.

Randy left KOMO in the mid-1980s to work at KNBC in Los Angeles, where the proximity to Hollywood allowed him pursue his dream of being a film director. He worked on a number of films, both popular (The Mighty Ducks, Grumpy Old Men) and obscure (Psycho Cop, Livin’ Large!).

But television turned out to be much steadier work. Randy’s last 15 years in the entertainment business were spent primarily as a first assistant director on various TV sitcoms, including I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Everybody Loves Raymond and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Yes, he could probably speed dial Julia Louis-Dreyfus. And Ray Romano.

Following his retirement in 2014, Randy and his wife, Jo, now split their time between Phinney Ridge, near Seattle – and Poulsbo, a picturesque town on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula. They enjoy traveling to exotic locations like Iceland, Tanzania, Portugal and Croatia.

Randy, who turns 73 in August, rides a black Kawasaki Vulcan 900.

Randy rode with me in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Due to family and health complications, he was unable to join the Posse for the 2025 Pass-a-Palooza™.

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