John W. Holick

John William Holick, 75, of Fredonia, Wis., passed away on May 30, 2024.

John was born in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 27, 1948.

At the age of 11, his family moved from the city out to the farm in Fredonia, where John spent the remainder of his life devotedly.

He was a proud member of the first graduating class of Ozaukee High School in 1967.  He helped name the school and always said it was picked to be open and welcoming to all. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he studied to become an elementary education major. It is here where he met some of his closest friends.

He worked at Red Lantern Pizza, where he saved up money to purchase his treasured 1968 Shelby GT500 Mustang. In summers, he could be spotted driving around the scenic, winding roads of the Kettle Moraine and Door County.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in May 1971. John attended academy military training in Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was the salutatorian of his class. He was stationed in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, where he worked as a missile assignment officer, working with Hawk Air Defense Systems. When speaking of his service, he would often say that he “proudly wore green underwear” on behalf of the United States Army.

It was in Germany that he developed a keen eye for photography and a love for automobile racing. He earned a degree in photography from the University of Würzburg.  He traveled throughout Europe, photographing different Formula 1 and races at Le Mans. He developed many lifelong friendships between the drivers and teammates. He passed his love of this racing down to his children and grandchildren.

  Upon returning to Wisconsin, John worked at Pohlman Studios in Milwaukee, followed by the Road America racetrack in Elkhart Lake. He held several positions, from technical inspector to safety director.

He ended his career as a program educator at St. Mary’s Ozaukee Hospital, where he taught first responder and CPR courses.

His life forever changed at a race at Brainerd International Raceway on July 21, 1989. It was here that he met the love of his life, Darcy Jenkins. Within eight months of meeting, they married on March 21, 1990, in a simple ceremony at First Congregational Church, Port Washington, Wis. John fell in love not only with Darcy but also her two daughters, Amy and Courtney, and raised them with nothing but unconditional love and support for the rest of his life. John always spoke with such pride of his three girls and was always their biggest cheerleader.

  John passed away surrounded by loved ones on his farm after a brief yet courageous battle with lung cancer.

John was proceeded in death by his parents William “Bill” and Caroline “Ruth” (nee Buday) Holick and his five beloved golden retrievers, Duke, Pete, Maggie, Thomas and Toby.

  John is survived by his wife of 34 years, Darcy Jenkins-Holick; daughters Amy Haapala of St. Anthony, Minn., and Courtney (Matthew) Bouthilet of Mahtomedi, Minn.; and their three children, Henry, Everett and Calvin.

  A service will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at First Congregational Church, 131 N. Webster St., Port Washington, Wis. Visitation will be one hour prior, with light refreshments following.

A private internment with military honors will take place at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minn.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family.

  The family would like to thank Dr. Douglas Puffer and his staff, Dr. Erika Swanson, Dr. Talal Khairi and Dr. Toan Tran, for John’s exceptional care during his illness.