Joseph L. "Pep" Simek

Joseph "Pep" L. Simek, 1926-2013, 86, of Medford, died on Monday, Feb. 18 at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, where he had been a patient the past 14 days. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford, with Father Gerard Willger, Father Dennis Meulemans and Deacon Joseph Stefancin officiating, and full military honors performed by the Medford and Westboro Area Military Honors Team. Interment will be at Mount Olive Cemetery in Westboro. Pallbearers are Quaid, Seth and Landin Simek, Ernie Olmstead, Blaze Brigman, Joe Peot and Tom LaBarge. Visitation will be held at the church on Friday, Feb. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m., with a 7 p.m. prayer service, and on Saturday from 9 to 10:45 a.m. Hemer Funeral Homes of Medford and Rib Lake assisted the family with arrangements. Joseph Simek was born on November 13, 1926 in Ogema to the late Josef and Vlasta (Hedlicka) Simek. He was a 1944 graduate of Westboro High School. He served in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946 while being stationed in Trieste, Italy. On August 29, 1947 in Chicago, Ill., he married Frances "Fran" L. Bishop, who preceded him in death on November 1, 2010. After the service, he worked at Steel Setter, was a Fuller Brushman salesman, a musical instrument salesman and also worked on the shipping/receiving dock at Red Ball Trucking Company, all in Chicago, until moving to the Medford area in July 1960. Pep then was co-owner and bartender at Tombstone Tap and in July 1962, he became one of the four founding members of Tombstone Pizza, where he served as Chairman of the Board and CEO until the business was sold in 1986. He then established and currently owns Pep's Pizza in Medford. He is also the previous owner of Embassy Suites/Regency Suites Hotel of Green Bay, Paradise Shores Hotel and Resort in Lake Holcombe, Captain Morgan's Retreat in Belize, and Enerquip of Medford. They also had numerous businesses in several states. The first ever reality series was filmed at Captain Morgan's "Temptation Island" in 1999. Pep and Fran began their Philanthropic Services with donations to the Simek Recreation Center, Medford Fire Department, Medford Public Library, Holy Rosary School, Youth Sports Activities, and helped numerous, numerous individuals in the community. They sponsored the Boy Scouts, bowling teams, baseball teams, curling teams and other groups in the Medford area. Pep was an avid hunter, fisherman and traveler. He enjoyed attending Packers games and boating. He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Premeau-Schauss VFW Post No. 7817 of Westboro and Landau-Jensen American Legion Post No. 147 of Medford. In 2012, Pep was inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame. Survivors include three children, Joseph Jr. (Donna) of San Diego, Calif., Lauren (fiancé Dennis Caruso) Simek of Jim Falls and Richard (Ann) of Tucson, Ariz.; two sisters, Gloria Olmstead of Medford and Vlasta Cummings of Delta Junction, Alaska; three brothers, Ronald Simek of Genoa, Nev., Bill (Mary Ann) Noziska of Casper, Wyo., and Dan (Judy) Noziska of Juneau, Alaska; four grandchildren, Shannon Simek of San Diego, Quaid (Jenny) Simek of Tucson, Seth (Nicole) Simek of Los Angeles, Calif., and Landin (Tina) Simek of Dripping Springs, Texas; six great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and many, many friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in Pep's name to the Simek Recreation Center or the American Heart Association.