Theodore “Ted” Peter Biver, 71, of Rice Lake, WI, died peacefully on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at his home.

He was born on September 16th, 1951, in Spooner, WI, to Joseph F. Senior and Ruth (Swetland) Biver, the fourth of seven children.

Ted lived his life in the spirit of “constantly advancing,” with meeting Jesus being the ultimate promotion. His strong faith guided his life, and he loved being there for his family and friends, sharing stories, teaching others, and working dutifully.

Ted grew up on a dairy farm in Spooner, WI. He was active in the Twin Valley 4-H Club particularly in the areas of woodworking and dairy projects where he earned a Key Award. He excelled in FFA, winning chapter speech competitions and becoming President of the FFA chapter his senior year of high school. Ted graduated from Shell Lake High School in 1969. After high school, he continued to work on his family’s farm. He married the love of his life, Judith Bruss (Webster, WI) on October 25, 1975, in Shell Lake, WI. Together, they operated a dairy farm in Dewey township and started their family. Alongside his wife, he volunteered to support his children in all their activities including 4-H, academics, music, church and many sports. Having played the baritone and tuba in school and his wife playing trumpet, guitar and singing, they instilled a love for music in each of their children, which brought to the home a wide range of instruments and voice talents. The Biver family was recognized for their efforts in their community with Barron County’s Top 4-H Family of the Year. Having an entrepreneurial drive, Ted expanded his career ambitions to include small engine repair and welding. He pursued this passion by earning a degree in Welding from WITI (WITC / Northwood Technical College). He rose to the top of his graduating class and was recruited by Williams Welding in Rice Lake, WI, in 1988, which would eventually move the family to Rice Lake, WI in 1992, and become the start of his lifelong career. He advanced from a regional salesperson into management over the course of 35+ years, seeing the company grow from William’s Welding Supply to Genex to Praxair and then operating through the Linde merger in 2018. Ted would visit Praxair offices where we traveled. He was known by customers and team members alike for his intense focus on safety, natural sales and service talents, and unwavering positivity A baseball enthusiast, he became a player/manager for the Shell Lake Blues from 1974-1975 where his leadership helped them win two WBA league championships. He coached in the Barron County 4-H softball league as a volunteer with the Klondike Rustlers 4-H club and played with the Brill Millers Baseball team. He believed every player had value and demonstrated it through planful precision in making team line-ups and developing players. He was an avid outdoorsman, keeping the family’s legacy of whitetail deer hunting alive amongst three generations. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, especially the 1974 trip to Snake River Canyon in Idaho to watch Evel Knievel. He also loved going out West on elk hunts and going prairie dog shooting in the Dakotas. His hunting hobby expanded into an expertise in ballistics and reloading. Ted’s devotion to his wife and family was admirably and reliably selfless. He enjoyed helping family members with tough projects as much as guiding them to the best attractions at a water park. He loved staying connected to the family farm and took every opportunity to work alongside his brother, Jim. His grandchildren in turn looked for their opportunity to go to the farm to get tractor rides with Grandpa Ted. Ted was a member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Rice Lake, WI.

He is survived by his wife, Judith Biver; 10 children, Peter Biver, Michael (Michelle) Biver, Tresa (Marc) Gowland, Tina (Will) Slayton, William (Dani) Biver, Nicole (Dan) Schafer, Alice (Mark) Thomas, Kathryn Biver (Andy Becker), Paul Biver, and Frances (Juan) Camilo; 22 grandchildren; 2 brothers, Tom (Mary) Biver and Jim Biver and; 2 sisters, Susan Hughes and Mary (Dan) Denver; many nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph F. Senior and Ruth (Swetland) Biver; 2 brothers, John Biver and Joseph Biver, and 2 brothers-in-law, Duane “Buck” Hughes and Michael “Mick” Bruss, and a grandson, Connor Gowland.

Visitation will be held on Monday, July 17, 2023 from 4-7pm at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI, and for one hour prior to the mass at the Church on Tuesday.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rice Lake, WI, with Father Adam Laski, Presider, and Father Dennis Mullen, Concelebrant.

Interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery in Spooner, WI.

Memorials would be appreciated to: Fr. Mullen’s Knights of Columbus Adoption Initiative Checks made payable to: Knights of Columbus Council Mail to: KC Council 2137 in care of Fr. Dennis Mullen 111 West Marshall St, Rice Lake, WI 54868 ProLife Across America Online giving: prolifeacrossamerica.org Mail to: P.O. Box 18669, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Last Update: Jul 13, 2023 12:42 pm CDT