Michael Ray Stein

Michael Ray Stein

On August 16, 2023, Michael Ray Stein passed away surrounded by his three children. He left us much too early and will be greatly missed. He was the best father his children could have ever asked for.

Mike was born September 25, 1951 in Illinois on the Navy base where his father worked. His family moved to Milwaukee, WI shortly after and he lived there most of his childhood.

Mike grew up loving fishing, hunting, track and field (especially pole vaulting), ice skating in the winter and spending time with friends and his four siblings.

His family relocated to Eau Claire, WI his senior year of high school and he was crushed to leave his friends and his track team. The move however led him to meet his first and only love, Karen, whom he met in the summer of 1969 at a gas station he worked at. She pulled up in a candy apple red Corvette convertible with long blonde hair and blue eyes, asked her to hang out that evening and the rest was history. Mike wanted to finish college before they were married and as soon as he graduated, he asked Karen to be his wife.

Mike and Karen were married on January 4, 1975. Mike and Karen relocated to Owen-Withee/Curtiss, WI in 1979 and Mike started his career in Social Services at the Clark County Health Care Center and they started their family and had three children; Rory, William and Chelsey.

Curtiss was an extremely small town so they spent a lot of time together as a family going on walks, bike rides, playing outside in the fields and swimming.

In 1988, they relocated to Menomonie, WI where Mike got a job as the Director of Social Services at the Dunn County Health Care Center and is where he spent most of his career. He was a hard worker and everyone loved to work with him.

Mike's greatest passion in his life was his family. His children were involved in many activities and sports and he was their biggest fan and never missed an event.

His other passion in life was deer and pheasant hunting, he was always the first one out in the morning and the last one in at the end of the day. He also had a love for fishing, especially musky and carp fishing. Mike was always excited when the carp were rolling.

Mike was the ultimate handy man and could fix up or build anything. He built many things for his house and family.

During football season, he would always love to watch all the games and especially his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. Mike delighted in his grandchildren and loved to spend time with them and read books, do activities and attend their events, they brought him so much joy in the last years of his life.

Mike is survived by his children: Rory (Juliana) Stein, William Stein, and Chelsey (Phil) Fackler; his grandchildren: Caden Fackler, Ella Fackler and Oliver Tigre Stein; and his siblings: Jimmy (Carmon) Stein, Martin Stein and Patti Stein.

Mike was preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, Karen, his parents, Daniel Joseph and Arlene Rose (Boguslawske) Stein and sister, Sandra Olson.

Mike was truly a kind and compassionate person, who was forever doing things for family and friends. He was always so very gracious to all and a true gentleman. We love you more than anything dad and are forever grateful that you were our dad. You were the best dad in the world and we could not have asked for anything more in a father. May you rest in peace and continue your one of a kind love story with our mom in heaven.

A private Celebration of Life is being planned at Mike's favorite place in the world, Big Falls, where he loved to fish and where he and Karen went on their first date.

To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com.