Wayne William Zitzka

Wayne W. Zitzka, age 74, of Spooner, WI, passed away on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at his home.

Wayne William Zitzka was born June 21, 1951, in North Lake, IL the son of George and Lois (Selhanek) Zitzka. He graduated from high school in Mesquite, TX where he held a track record in hurdles for at least 20 years. On August 14, 1971, Wayne was joined in marriage to Pamela Feldmann at the United Methodist Church in Elgin, IL. Wayne and Pam lived in DeKalb, IL where he attended Northern Illinois University. In 1974, they moved to Spooner, WI where Wayne went to work for the Spooner Railroad. He served in the Spooner Volunteer Fire Department and helped during the Tower Fire in April of 1977, one of Wisconsin's largest in history. In late 1977, Wayne joined the U.S. Air Force. He and his family lived in Air Force Bases in Biloxi, MS, Great Falls, MT, Lompoc, CA, Rapid City, SD, Dayton, OH, and El Segundo, CA. Wayne served in Missile Operations as well as Acquisitions for most of his time in service. Wayne retired from active duty in 1993. Wayne became a civilian employee for the Air Force and worked in Leominster, MA and Albuquerque, NM for the Air Force Research Laboratories. Wayne retired from civilian service in 2014 and then moved back to Spooner, WI.

Wayne made his lifelong dream of spending his retirement years on a lake in Wisconsin come true when he and Pam bought their home on the shore of Big McKenzie Lake. Here he relished time teaching his granddaughters to fish and his grandson to fish and hunt. The lake truly was his happy place. Wayne enjoyed fishing, woodworking, hunting, taking drives and walks in the Northwoods, and watching college sports, especially March Madness. He ran a family pool for the March Madness tournament with ice cream on the line and always ended up buying the ice cream whether he won the pool or not.

Wayne loved diving into philosophy, always eager to chat about life, the human experience, and the passage of time. When he wasn't pondering the big questions, he was a go-to person for helping others and tackling projects. He was always ready to lend a hand, seemingly knowing how to do just about anything, and if he didn't have the exact answer, he was confident he could figure it out. Sadly, we've lost our personal YouTube guide for repairs. He had a generous spirit, never expecting anything in return. Whether it was inviting young service members to their home for holiday dinners, helping a neighbor put their dock in, or assisting with home maintenance or renovation projects, he never met a stranger nor a project he didn't know something about and offered his help. One of his favorite quotes was, "I didn't get nothing; I had to pay fifty dollars and pick up the garbage." From the song and movie Alice's Restaurant. He was a great man and will be deeply missed.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pamela; two daughters, Rhonda (Matthew) Mayhew of Albuquerque, NM and Tammy (Chris) Graham of Hayward, WI; four grandchildren, Hannah, Rachel, Ender and Leela; two siblings, Janet Knutson of Great Falls, MT and Kenneth (Cathy) Zitzka of Vancouver, WA; Cousins and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents George and Lois Zitzka, his grandparents and numerous Great Aunts and Uncles.

A burial service with military honors will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026 at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Beaver Brook Township, Washburn County, WI. A celebration of life will follow that will be announced at the burial service.