Michael Anthony "Mike" Wichman, 76, passed away on January 11, 2025, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Edmund Wichman and Camilla Travanti Wichman, Mike was raised in a family where creativity was simply part of daily life. His father, mother, and sister were all artists who worked in mediums like painting, textiles, and photography, and his cousin Leon Travanti built a career as an artist and art educator. That creative streak never left Mike, even as he built a life defined by engineering, service, and showing up for others.
Mike grew up with Midwestern values he carried everywhere: work hard, treat people right, and take care of your family. As a kid, one of his dreams was to be a race car driver, and he kept that lifelong appreciation for speed, precision, and well-built machines. He admired the same qualities in a car, a system, or a perfectly tuned bicycle.
He attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied both art and mathematics. It was classic Mike, refusing to choose between creativity and logic. That blend became his signature. He could spot what was beautiful about how something was designed, and he could also tell you exactly how to make it work better. Over the years, he worked with the Milwaukee Road, Yellow Freight, Ryder, and Caremore Medical Group. He also founded his own consulting business, Wichman and Associates, where he worked with clients like American Express and Florida International University. He took pride in doing the job right, and he never forgot the human side of the work.
Mike and his wife of 53 years, Sandra Wichman, built a life of movement and adventure. They went from Kenosha to Prairie Village, Kansas in the early 1980s, to the Miami Lakes, Florida area at the end of the 1980s, to Valencia, California in the early 2000s, to Torrance, California in the 2010s, and finally to the Prescott, Arizona area in the 2020s. His work took him across the country and to international clients in places like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Mumbai, India. Closer to home, he made sure his sons collected real memories, too, including canoeing the Ozarks, spelunking in Tennessee caves, and putting on homemade fireworks shows that were equal parts spectacle and family legend.
One of Mike's favorite creative outlets was photography, but it was so much more than just a hobby. It was part of how he moved through the world, alert to details, composition, and the quiet story inside ordinary moments. At home, another art form ruled the day: cooking. He loved Italian food, especially when he could add an "experimental" twist that kept everyone guessing, in a good way.
Mike loved sports, and he didn't just watch. He joined in. There was a period in the 1980s when the Wichmans were known as a volleyball family, and Mike also played tennis, golf, and racquetball. He loved baseball, basketball, football, and he could always be counted on for a strong opinion on a play. His teams included the Cubs, the Brewers, the Chiefs, the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Cycling was a special passion. Mike was a dedicated road cyclist for decades, and watched the Tour de France on TV and especially loved following the Tour of California, which is where he first learned about Peter Sagan. He admired champions like Greg LeMond but enjoyed keeping an eye on modern greats like Sagan, following their tactics, attacks, and the pure drama of the road.
He also loved to laugh, and his humor had Chicago fingerprints all over it. He was a fan of The Second City, and he loved SCTV and its cast of regular stars, including Bill Murray, John Belushi, Rick Moranis, and Dave Thomas. He especially enjoyed Moranis and Thomas as Bob and Doug McKenzie from Strange Brew, which felt like the kind of joke that never gets old if you tell it with the right timing.
Music was another lifelong passion. He loved The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads, and he and Sandra saw Lou Reed live in the 1970s. He saw Led Zeppelin in 1969 or 1970 at a venue known as the Electric Jungle, likely in Chicago or Milwaukee, and he never forgot it. He sat right on the stage, which was basically a concrete slab, and he said it rumbled under the sheer weight of their sound. He was also a fan of Cream, and in college he even put down "Ginger Baker" as his name on his telephone bill, which is a very Mike way to leave a paper trail.
Mike was also a devoted movie watcher with a favorites list that could swing from comedy to sci-fi to monster movies without missing a beat. A few of his favorites were An American Werewolf in London, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, War of the Worlds, and Godzilla Minus One.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Rebecca Wichman. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Wichman; his children, Andy and Alex Wichman; his brother, Eddy Wichman; and his grandchildren, Cleo, Cameron, and Julian Wichman.
The family extends sincere thanks to Maggie's Hospice in Prescott Valley, Arizona, for their compassionate care. In honor of Mike, cook something new (preferably Italian), take a photo of something unexpectedly beautiful, and take a bike ride down a quiet road. Then smile when you catch yourself telling one of his hilarious stories. Condolences may be shared here on Legacy.com.
Mike grew up with Midwestern values he carried everywhere: work hard, treat people right, and take care of your family. As a kid, one of his dreams was to be a race car driver, and he kept that lifelong appreciation for speed, precision, and well-built machines. He admired the same qualities in a car, a system, or a perfectly tuned bicycle.
He attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied both art and mathematics. It was classic Mike, refusing to choose between creativity and logic. That blend became his signature. He could spot what was beautiful about how something was designed, and he could also tell you exactly how to make it work better. Over the years, he worked with the Milwaukee Road, Yellow Freight, Ryder, and Caremore Medical Group. He also founded his own consulting business, Wichman and Associates, where he worked with clients like American Express and Florida International University. He took pride in doing the job right, and he never forgot the human side of the work.
Mike and his wife of 53 years, Sandra Wichman, built a life of movement and adventure. They went from Kenosha to Prairie Village, Kansas in the early 1980s, to the Miami Lakes, Florida area at the end of the 1980s, to Valencia, California in the early 2000s, to Torrance, California in the 2010s, and finally to the Prescott, Arizona area in the 2020s. His work took him across the country and to international clients in places like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Mumbai, India. Closer to home, he made sure his sons collected real memories, too, including canoeing the Ozarks, spelunking in Tennessee caves, and putting on homemade fireworks shows that were equal parts spectacle and family legend.
One of Mike's favorite creative outlets was photography, but it was so much more than just a hobby. It was part of how he moved through the world, alert to details, composition, and the quiet story inside ordinary moments. At home, another art form ruled the day: cooking. He loved Italian food, especially when he could add an "experimental" twist that kept everyone guessing, in a good way.
Mike loved sports, and he didn't just watch. He joined in. There was a period in the 1980s when the Wichmans were known as a volleyball family, and Mike also played tennis, golf, and racquetball. He loved baseball, basketball, football, and he could always be counted on for a strong opinion on a play. His teams included the Cubs, the Brewers, the Chiefs, the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Cycling was a special passion. Mike was a dedicated road cyclist for decades, and watched the Tour de France on TV and especially loved following the Tour of California, which is where he first learned about Peter Sagan. He admired champions like Greg LeMond but enjoyed keeping an eye on modern greats like Sagan, following their tactics, attacks, and the pure drama of the road.
He also loved to laugh, and his humor had Chicago fingerprints all over it. He was a fan of The Second City, and he loved SCTV and its cast of regular stars, including Bill Murray, John Belushi, Rick Moranis, and Dave Thomas. He especially enjoyed Moranis and Thomas as Bob and Doug McKenzie from Strange Brew, which felt like the kind of joke that never gets old if you tell it with the right timing.
Music was another lifelong passion. He loved The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads, and he and Sandra saw Lou Reed live in the 1970s. He saw Led Zeppelin in 1969 or 1970 at a venue known as the Electric Jungle, likely in Chicago or Milwaukee, and he never forgot it. He sat right on the stage, which was basically a concrete slab, and he said it rumbled under the sheer weight of their sound. He was also a fan of Cream, and in college he even put down "Ginger Baker" as his name on his telephone bill, which is a very Mike way to leave a paper trail.
Mike was also a devoted movie watcher with a favorites list that could swing from comedy to sci-fi to monster movies without missing a beat. A few of his favorites were An American Werewolf in London, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, War of the Worlds, and Godzilla Minus One.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Rebecca Wichman. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Wichman; his children, Andy and Alex Wichman; his brother, Eddy Wichman; and his grandchildren, Cleo, Cameron, and Julian Wichman.
The family extends sincere thanks to Maggie's Hospice in Prescott Valley, Arizona, for their compassionate care. In honor of Mike, cook something new (preferably Italian), take a photo of something unexpectedly beautiful, and take a bike ride down a quiet road. Then smile when you catch yourself telling one of his hilarious stories. Condolences may be shared here on Legacy.com.
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