Kenneth Merle Fick, 96, formerly of Spooner, passed away on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at Glenview Assisted Living in Shell Lake, WI.

Kenneth was born to John and Lillian (Herring) Fick on August 16, 1926 in Sioux Falls, SD.

He lived on a farm near Mitchell, SD until age 11, when the family moved to Sioux City IA. Ken graduated from Central High School and immediately enlisted in the Navy, where he served as a fireman aboard LST 1090. From there, he attended business college where he studied electrical and diesel engineering.

He met the love of his life, Betty, on a blind date in 1949 and they were married six months later. Ken was employed by the Ziegler Company in Minneapolis as a mechanic, then later its subsidiary, Zeco, in Duluth, as a salesman of road construction equipment. During that time, they raised two children and spent virtually every weekend building their cabin on Lake McKinley near Spooner. Ken and Betty retired to that cabin, now lake home in 1989, where they enjoyed their church, good friends, golfing, fishing, and the multitude of wildlife in the area. Ken especially enjoyed his church’s men’s group.

Ken always said life was good and felt that you did God’s work in your vocation. He was well-liked by his customers who knew that Ken would always be honest and upfront with them.

Ken was preceded in death by his wife of 70 ½ years, Betty; his son, Gary; his parents; his older brother Dwain; and twin siblings.

He is survived by his daughter, Jane (Dean) Oelfke of Rush City, MN; sister Dorothy (Kendall) Blumer of Yankton, SD; brother Richard (Penny) Fick of Richfield, MN; several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

A service will be held for Ken on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 11 AM at Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Heather Kistner officiating. Public visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Lunch will follow the service. Committal with honors will be in the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery sometime in the late spring.

Last Update: Dec 18, 2022 11:05 am CST