Orville John Leick

Orville J. Leick, 88, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, May 30, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

Orv was born October 3, 1936, in Stratford, Wisconsin to the late Archie and Jennie (Knops) Leick. He grew up on the family dairy farm in Stratford, and graduated from Stratford High School. In July 1963, he married Rosanne Dernbach in Rothschild, Wisconsin.

After high school, Orv continued his education at Wausau Technical Institute in Radio and Television. He worked 42 years at WSAW - Channel 7 as a maintenance engineer. Besides working in the control room, he enjoyed setting up remote broadcasts for many events such as The Channel 7 Golf Classic, the Eagle River Snowmobile Derby, and the Wisconsin Valley Fair.

He served in the US Army Reserves from 1960 to 1966. He attained the rank of sergeant and received an Honorable Discharge. He also volunteered for the Wausau Emergency Police assisting career officers and performed traffic control for Wausau area events.

Orv enjoyed the outdoors, travel, and home remodeling. He took many road trips and bus tours with his wife and family. Many weekends included camping trips and bike rides on the "rails to trails" system in Wisconsin.

When Orv and Rosanne retired, they wintered in Apache Junction, Arizona. For 7 years, they enjoyed many activities and day trips. Orv was a member of the computer club, helping other residents with their computers. He loved to tinker with electronics to see how things worked. He always wanted to assemble new equipment without reading the instructions, and be the first to use it.

Orv was a man of few words, so people listened when he spoke. He had a witty sense of humor and was a kind and gentle soul. Animals, especially dogs, made him smile.

He is survived by his wife; daughters Debbie (Mike Alix) and Lori (Tom Kilinski); along with his cherished grandchildren, Andrew and Katie; sisters Lucille Leick and MaryAnne Schreiner; and many nieces and nephews.

His parents, brothers Richard (Margaret) Leick and Kenny (Mary) Leick; sister Dorothy (Louis) Kraus; and brother-in-law Francis Schreiner preceded him in death.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Marshfield Medical Center, Weston and Pride TLC for their loving care of Orville.

A Celebration of Orv's Life will be held on June 27, 2025, at 11am, at Helke Funeral Home followed by a Visitation until 2pm.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Marathon County Humane Society or the Disabled American Veterans in Orville's name.