Wayne Bisek

OREGON - Wayne Bisek, age 67, of Oregon, was welcomed into the gates of heaven on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, at UW Hospital. He was born on Jan. 23, 1954, in Arcadia, Wis., the son of Adrian and Gertrude (Sonsalla) Bisek. Wayne graduated from Arcadia High School in 1972. He married the love of his life, Vickie Carroll, on Oct. 4, 1980, and they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last year. Wayne and Vickie enjoyed listening to an array of music, going to many movies, and dancing together. The entire Bisek family enjoyed making each other laugh, sharing quotes from movies they watched yearly as family traditions. Wayne was self-employed as a financial advisor for the last 34 years and loved meeting people and having conversations to get to know them. When Wayne was a child, his family received an invaluable gift from a local grocer of a couple bags of food on Christmas Eve. Wayne never forgot that heartfelt gift, which many years later inspired him to create the charity Buckets for Hunger, Inc. Last year, Buckets celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Since its inception in 1995, nearly $2.5 million has been raised to feed the needy across Wisconsin and the nation. Wayne received local and national recognition and awards for his efforts in helping others. In 2018, he was the winner of the Jefferson Award for the state of Wisconsin. In 2019, he won the national Jackie Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service, one of only five to receive the award. Wayne was an amazing father, husband, brother, uncle, friend, teammate, coach, teacher and leader of any activity he chose to undertake. He was an incredibly proud father and showered his three children with love while doing his absolute best to never miss a single sporting event, concert, or event of theirs. He was involved in the creation of the Oregon food pantry and was always involved in community service projects and anything that would help others, whether he knew them or had never met them. Wayne had an avid love for all things sports, including the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, and more. He enjoyed playing football, baseball and track in high school, where he was a star athlete at nearly every sport he participated in. There was no sport he loved more than softball. He taught this love of the game and sportsmanship to his children and countless others. He coached men and women, boys and girls, at many different sports. He thoroughly enjoyed playing softball in Verona Senior Leagues, always working on a new pitch. He would occasionally play on the same team as his sons where he could still “hold his own,” and stretch a single into a double with a picture-perfect slide. His proudest moments in life were being able to play on the same team with all three kids in the Fitchburg open “men’s” league. Wayne’s mind was always running and coming up with the latest project or idea. He was a co-founder of Oregon Girls Softball Association. He was instrumental in establishing softball fields and playground equipment in Oregon and Arcadia. He served on the city council in Arcadia. Wayne was very religious and held many positions at Holy Mother of Consolation, including serving on the council, religious education teacher, fund-raising and leadership for a major renovation. Wayne was the author of three books, "A Knock at the Door," "The Ignitor," and "Love & Money" as well as countless poems, short stories and love letters. He was a giver and was always supplying gifts and notes to family and friends. Wayne's passion shined in every activity he was a part of. He always did “the $500 job, not the $50 job." He had an enormous heart with a special place for everyone he met. Wayne was a father figure for anyone that needed one. He lived life to the fullest and got everything he could out of each and every moment. He reached the pinnacle of success in so many ways, with both his God-given abilities as well as years of hard work and effort. Wayne Bisek truly lived “A Wonderful Life.” Wayne is survived by his wife, Vickie; two sons, A.J. (Jacqueline Cosgrove) and Cole Wayne; daughter, Melanie (Dexter) Desamito; five grandchildren, Ivy and Miles Cosgrove-Bisek, Ryan, Elliana and Alias Desamito; two brothers, Karl (Kathy) and Richard (Renae); sister, Marilyn (Jim) Reedy; and brother-in-law, Dick Andre. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Maggie Andre; and stepmother, Dottie Bisek. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 651 N. Main St., Oregon, at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, with Monsignor Larry Bakke as celebrant and Father Gary Wankerl as concelebrant. A visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass on Friday. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Buckets for Hunger in Wayne’s honor and memory. Email bucketsforhunger@yahoo.com for donation information. Donations can be made with a check mailed to: Buckets For Hunger, 4761 Coolidge St., Oregon, WI 53575. Venmo: buckets4hunger (last four digits of phone # 8857) Paypal: buckets4hunger@gmail.com “May God be With You Always.” Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Oregon Funeral & Cremation Care 1150 Park St. (608) 835-3515