Donald Mayek

1928 - 2025

Donald Mayek, 97, of Stevens Point, WI, died on September 21, 2025 at Dimensions Living in Stevens Point.

Don was born on August 18, 1928, in Stevens Point, WI, the second child of Helen Hoppa and Joseph Mayek.

He grew up during the Great Depression on the East side of Stevens Point, where his parents owned and operated The Airport Bar. He spent his youth skiing, ski-jumping at Iverson Park, fishing, and later, fly-fishing in nearby trout streams, swimming in the Plover River, golfing, wandering all over the town on foot or bike, delivering groceries for a local sundry store, mowing lawns, selling shoes, and generally being busy, working hard, and having fun.

He attended High School at P.J. Jacobs where he played football and basketball, participated in band, sang in the choir and starred onstage in drama productions. He had an extraordinary baritone voice and sang for many public functions, often accompanied on the piano by Dorothy Vetter, the legendary music teacher in Point. He bought his first car with the money he made working jobs outside of school, and loved taking care of it and showing it off. He developed his fashion sense and style and was always a very snappy dresser. He enjoyed dancing, big band music, choral concerts and theatrical productions all over the state, and always had interesting adventures. Don was determined to succeed in life, and indeed he did.

Don graduated from what was then Central State Teachers College, now UWSP, with a degree in biology and later entered the Air Force, where he learned to fly in T-6 trainer jets before flying the F80 Shooting Star fighter jet. After his time in the service, he attended Marquette Dental School. He met Mary McCauley, who was then a student at the Teachers College, at Joe's Bar in Stevens Point during a holiday break from Marquette. He always said he "liked the way she looked," and that settled it. They married in 1956 and were together until Mary's death in 2016. He practiced dentistry in Black Creek, Iola and Clintonville before they built a house in Stevens Point and he opened his dental office on Wilshire Boulevard.

Don was smart as a whip and tough as nails. He could be stubborn, unreasonable and incredibly demanding. But he was equally charming, sensitive, kind and compassionate. He was an accomplished skier, golfer, singer, dancer, fisherman, racquetball player, and conversationalist who was always educating himself. He loved to travel and took his family on numerous trips to Disney World in Florida, to Rib Mountain (now Granite Peak), the Upper Peninsula and Colorado on ski trips, and to Milwaukee and Chicago to see shows, museums and sporting events. He loved movies, music and sports, and often started betting pools for football games and the Triple Crown horse races with his family. He and Mary golfed, traveled, went on gambling junkets to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi and Las Vegas, visited their kids and grandkids, and hosted many holiday gatherings at their house in Park Ridge. He enjoyed his vodka on the rocks, a glass of champagne and good food. He had a great appreciation for the finer things in life, and his time on earth was spent enjoying as many of those things as possible. In moderation, of course!

Don taught all six of his kids to ski by the time they were five years old, and often would remind them that, because they were skiers, they could pretty much do anything. If his 97 years are any indication of whether that holds true, the kids should be alright. He lived a remarkable life.

Don is survived by his six children: Mike (Amy), Clintonville, WI; Tim (Deb), Afton, MN; Christine (Brian Gorelick), Winston-Salem, NC; Jennifer (Mike Stemple), Stevens Point, WI; Joe (Bridget),Clintonville, WI; and John, Menasha, WI; his eight grandkids, Holly (Collin Joseph) and Jesse (Maya Ganzen) Mayek, Christopher Mayek, David and John Gorelick, Andrew and Megan (Scott Creamer), and Lily Mayek, and two great grandsons, Cayson Creamer and Ira Mayek.

He was predeceased by his parents, Helen and Joseph, his sister, Irene Kowalski, his brother, James Mayek, and his wife, Mary McCauley Mayek.