Gerald "Gerry" Warsek

Gerald “Gerry” Allen Warsek, Wautoma, passed away in the loving arms of his wife, Nadine, and daughter, Raquel on Sunday, September 20, 2020. He was born in Milwaukee on November 2, 1942. Interestingly, he enjoyed “one last Packers win”! He so enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers Football. Gerry was an avid lover of sports and especially football. When he wasn’t watching sports, westerns or the news, he was reading mysteries or westerns. His first love was his love of Big Silver Lake. The family cottage brought him so much joy! Watching others enjoy the lake and the cottage was another of his favorite past times.

His second love was his love for his family! Oftentimes, he was a man of few words but his actions always spoke volumes. He rarely missed a function that involved Raquel, or his grandsons, Dalton and Tucker. Gerry especially loved watching the boys’ develop a love and appreciation for cars and the lake. So many fond memories of swimming, eating, drinking, laughing, fishing and relaxing will live on with all of us who enjoyed the cottage with him.

Many locals may remember Gerry as the guy who converted the old Methodist Church into apartments on Oxford Street in Wautoma. He had a vision for the Rock Shop that he developed into Excel Auto Exchange. In earlier years, Gerry attended UW-Madison, sold tobacco products, painted houses, installed windows and various other subcontracting construction projects in the Milwaukee area. After meeting Nadine in 1981, he split his time between Milwaukee/Wauwatosa and Wautoma. Eventually, he semi-retired to Wautoma where he concentrated his time on the car lot and volunteered in various positions at Hope Lutheran Church. As of June 2020, Gerry was still “working” at the car lot until his cancer didn’t allow him to do so.

Gerry is survived by his loving wife, Nadine. He embraced the role of “dad” and father figure to his beloved daughter Raquel Daye (significant other Steve Seul of Waupaca) since she was ten years old. He cherished being Grandpa Gerry to Dalton Bohn (Wautoma) and Tucker Bohn (Waupaca). “The boys” were the lights of his life! He is survived by his son Greg (Fiona) Warsek and their three daughters Olivia, Claire and Chloe of Lake Forest, IL. Gerry is also survived by his sister Linda (Rick) Warsek-Taylor (Madison). Gerry was preceded in death by his parents, Ted and Myrtle Warsek and his bonus parents (in-laws), Reuben and Alice Daye. Gerry’s family was small but his “family” of friends was immense.

Heartfelt thanks and appreciation go out to Ed Sobieski, Ron Schneider and David Washkoviak for being such wonderful friends over the years. Special thank you to Dr. Maes, Dr. Klinkhammer, ThedaCare At Home and all of the nurses/staff at ThedaCare Berlin and ThedaCare Wild Rose..

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 PM on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at Leikness Funeral Home in Wautoma. The family will greet relatives and friends at the funeral home from 10:00 AM until the time of services at 12:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Gerry’s name to the American Cancer Society.