Donald J. Sevick, 96, of Waterford, passed away Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024 at Aurora Medical Center in Burlington.
Born in Chicago on June 10, 1928, Don was the son of John and Helen Sevick. He attended DePaul Academy High School in his early years and spent summers in Wisconsin at the family cottage on Bohners Lake with his brother Dick. The cottage was later converted into a permanent home.
Don, his father John and brother Dick started a tool and die business in Burlington called Burlington Machine Tool and Mfg. Co. It was the only firm of its kind in the area and had a large client list including Ladish, Carnation Milk, Foster Forbes, JW Peters & Sons and even Memorial Hospital of Burlington.
In 1952, he married Ruth Mary Fredrickson. Soon after, their first child Steve was born, followed later by their daughter Donna.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, John and Helen Sevick and his wife Mary in 2015. He is survived by his children, Steve (Patty) Sevick and Donna (Jim) Lampe; granddaughters Krista (Andy) Gaedtke and Shannon (Jason) James; great-grandchildren Isobel and Molly Gaedtke, and Sophie and Ronan James; along with his brother Dick and many nieces and nephews.
Don will indeed be missed. He was full of curiosity and adventure to the very end. This started early. After graduating high school, he and his best buddy traveled to the Smokey Mountains in a car that Don had just rebuilt the engine on. He was an outdoorsman and loved flyfishing and hunting. His hunting trips took him to northern Wisconsin and Wyoming along with his group of hunting buddies. He was a member of the Burlington Rifle Club and shot competitively for years. He coached Little League and was a Boy Scout leader. He and Mary travelled all over the US and Alaska. They had a vacation home in Door County and spent many happy years there. He was an avid Brewers, Badgers, DePaul and Packers fan. He was an avid reader and was very knowledgeable about geography and history. He had a passion for gardening. He even grew watermelons out of a five-gallon bucket! In his 50’s, he took a painting class and it sparked something in him. He went on to paint many beautiful oil paintings from his travels in the mountains and nature in general. He shared these paintings, often gifting them to church auctions and friends. These will be part of his legacy.
He lived life to its fullest, always saying each day is a gift and that any job worth doing was worth doing well. He will be greatly missed.
Special thanks to Waterford Place Assisted Living for making Don’s last year a happy one. Also thanks to the ER staff at Burlington Memorial Hospital and especially the ICU nurses, Jennifer and Theresa, for their loving support to the end.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, Aug. 23, 2024 at 1 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Burlington. A private burial will take place at St. Mary Cemetery at a later date.
Schuette-Daniels Funeral Home is serving the family. Well-wishers may visit www.danielsfamilyfuneral.com.
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