By all accounts, Storm Bridgmon was one cool character.

He was named after a brand of bowling ball, enjoyed rock climbing and exploring caves, and fished for crab on Stuart Island.

He lived on a boat in Friday Harbor and, when he tired of life as a liveaboard, his grandmother bought a condo that became known as the Dog House.

His nickname was Big Guy, and he made a career out of making people feel good. He liked McDonald’s cheeseburgers. He had his own Facebook page. He was mascot of the Friday Harbor Sailing Team and, for a time, of The Journal. He liked doing the countdown for his team’s sailing races, and set an example by always wearing a life jacket while on the dock.

He mellowed a bit in his old age. In the evenings when his stepdad, Dave, got home from work, he’d relax in the yard with Dave and enjoy a cigar. Storm didn’t actually smoke them, but he preferred that Dave puff on grape Swisher Sweets because the smoke didn’t make him sneeze.

What made Big Guy an unusual character was this: He was a dog, a Lab/shepherd mix. La Conner had its town dog, Dirty Biter; San Juan Island had Storm Dog. And news of his passing July 22 at the age of 15 — the equivalent of 105 human years — generated sympathy from near and far.

“There are dogs that are easy to forget,” said Mike Bridgmon, a relative. “Storm is not a dog I will ever forget.”

Lisa Rose Marsaudon wrote on Facebook, “I can’t even imagine how deep the pain is of losing the very best of friends. Storm was a legend and mascot to the sailing team. He will be sorely missed and remembered with the fondest of memories.”

Mike Paknejad wrote, “There are no words to express how wonderful of a friend, a pal or a dog that he was. He will be missed.”

Storm and his owner, Dez Bridgmon, were inseparable. He went to work with her every day and participated in most of her daily activities.

“I don’t think there was a day he wasn’t with me,” she said, adding that he was a bulwark during significant changes in her life.

Storm was born Jan. 31, 1994 in Portland, Ore., one in a litter of 11. Bridgmon found him in a pet store. “He watched me walk around the store for 20 minutes,” she said. “He was small enough to crawl up my sleeve.”

The first five years of his life were spent in Oregon and Colorado. He then became an island dog and spent the remaining 10 years of his life here. He knew boat life, cabin life and condo life.

Storm enjoyed engaging in feats of strength. Bridgmon named him for her 15-pound Sun Storm bowling ball, which became his lifelong favorite chew toy. He also enjoyed picking up logs and rocks at the beach, which wreaked havoc on his teeth.

He was also fearless. Once, while crabbing on Stuart Island, he emerged with a crab in his mouth, its pincers gripping his snout. He shook it off and went back for more.

He could count to five — really — and at boat races Bridgmon would have him bark the countdown.

He had a keen sense of when someone needed comforting. He had a unique sense of fun — on Christmas mornings, he would unwrap his own presents. And he had a unique sense of responsibility — after he finished a water bottle, he would dispose of it in the appropriate container.

That story about the condo is true. Bridgmon and Storm moved to the condo before she and Dave Olshefsky married. Storm enjoyed condo living so much Bridgmon got him his own phone number; he’s arguably the only canine listed in the CenturyTel phone book.

Olshefsky said that after he and Bridgmon married four years ago, “I was definitely the second man in the house. He was No. 1 all the way.” But stepdad and stepdog grew close.

“I usually watched him during regatta season. The funny thing about that was we would both run to see her when she got back.”

As he got older, Big Guy became Bridgmon’s “My Old Man.” Olshefsky said Storm started slowing down in October when the weather grew cooler. But he’d still go with Bridgmon and Olshefsky on long walks, and until recently he’d accompany Bridgmon on landscaping jobs and would chase deer.

“He was a pretty active guy,” Bridgmon said.

And, those who knew him would agree, he was a pretty cool guy to hang out with, too.

Bridgmon is collecting memories of Storm. You can e-mail her at dez@waterlineco.com or island.dulcinea@gmail.com.