D. Curtis Wik 1930-2007: An Appreciation
This obituary to my cousin D. Curtis Wik was published in today's Arizona Republic.
D. Curtis Wik was born on August 19, 1930 in rural Faulk County, South Dakota. He was raised on his family homestead and in Sioux City, Iowa. After attending Bethel College in St. Paul, he served in the U.S. Army. He used his GI bill benefits to learn to fly, and had a successful career as a commercial pilot, retiring as a 747 Captain with Pan Am, having traveled the whole world.
He and his wife Shirley raised two children, Lori and Jay, and made dear friendships in numerous places around the country. Curt devoted his abundant energy and creativity in serving Jesus Christ and adding joy to the lives of his family and friends. He led three church building programs, which established Christian congregations in New York, Connecticut, and Arizona. Each year, he wrote everyone's favorite Christmas letter. He loved his South Dakota roots and spent more than 40 years turning his old family grain elevator into a wonderful place for family gatherings and honoring his pioneer heritage. The Elevator has received mroe than 300 annual visitors and had been featured on HGTV and in many publications from the local newspapers to Guideposts.
Most people would say that Curt Wik made more out of each hour of life than anyone they had ever met. He planned ambitiously, prayed faithfully, worked diligently, and loved abundantly and the Lord made his life fruitful in so many ways.
Captain Wik was cleared for final take off Friday morning, March 23, 2007 with his wife and kids at his side. They believe he's now presenting Jesus with a project list that will take eternity-- and then some.
Papa's Flowers
The Elevator
The Curtis Wik Farm
I had a satisfying time today celebrating the remarkable life of Curt Wik. I left work an hour early to give me time to get to the Desert View Baptist Church, and I'm glad I did because the address in the newspaper was wrong. But I stopped at another church in Gilbert to get the right address.
It was a full house of I suppose about 200 people. The foyer had displays of photographs, slides, and videos of Curt and his family working and playing. One one table was his pilot's hat and also a Viking baseball cap and, more familiar to most of us, his sand-colored stetson. On another table, there was some of his artistry-- wood carving, stained glass, and even crocheting.
The hour-long service featured Curt's favorite two hymns "It is Well With My Soul" and "I'll Fly Away." The pastor gave a message of hope and passed the microphone to those in the audience, and his friends from the areas as well as Lake Havasu and elsewhere had plenty of insightful comments to make. Steve Moore, who was at the reunion last summer, captured the spirit, determination, and joy on behalf of the family with well-chosen words.
Curt's death was sudden-- within a span of days. Among the last thing that Curt said after they pulled the breathing tube out was "My beautiful, beautiful Shirley. I see your smile."
And it was good to see Shirley's smile, although this time couldn't have been easy. It was also good to get to see again some of the children and grand children, many of whom were also at the reunion last year.
After the service, in the courtyard, people mingled while they shared memories and sipped lemonade and nibbled cookies. Shirley invited me to the luncheon afterwards at the church, and I was honored to be there with other members of the family.
My first real memories of Curt go back to the Norbeck reunion of '86 when I saw the elevator for the first time. Years later, we found we had a mutual interest in family history, and I appreciated his cheerful erudition and generosity in providing invaluable information that answered some longstanding questions. The boys were also impressed by this Swedish cowboy, and they enjoyed the go-carts and ice-cream sodas that Curt made possible. But, for me, the most outstanding quality of Curt's life is the love he showed to his Shirley and the "Wikids." That certainly came through in the photographs and videos I saw today-- the horse and camping trips, the plays, the parties, and so on.
Shirley tells me that there will be another memorial in April in South Dakota.
D. Curtis Wik was born on August 19, 1930 in rural Faulk County, South Dakota. He was raised on his family homestead and in Sioux City, Iowa. After attending Bethel College in St. Paul, he served in the U.S. Army. He used his GI bill benefits to learn to fly, and had a successful career as a commercial pilot, retiring as a 747 Captain with Pan Am, having traveled the whole world.
He and his wife Shirley raised two children, Lori and Jay, and made dear friendships in numerous places around the country. Curt devoted his abundant energy and creativity in serving Jesus Christ and adding joy to the lives of his family and friends. He led three church building programs, which established Christian congregations in New York, Connecticut, and Arizona. Each year, he wrote everyone's favorite Christmas letter. He loved his South Dakota roots and spent more than 40 years turning his old family grain elevator into a wonderful place for family gatherings and honoring his pioneer heritage. The Elevator has received mroe than 300 annual visitors and had been featured on HGTV and in many publications from the local newspapers to Guideposts.
Most people would say that Curt Wik made more out of each hour of life than anyone they had ever met. He planned ambitiously, prayed faithfully, worked diligently, and loved abundantly and the Lord made his life fruitful in so many ways.
Captain Wik was cleared for final take off Friday morning, March 23, 2007 with his wife and kids at his side. They believe he's now presenting Jesus with a project list that will take eternity-- and then some.
Papa's Flowers
The Elevator
The Curtis Wik Farm
I had a satisfying time today celebrating the remarkable life of Curt Wik. I left work an hour early to give me time to get to the Desert View Baptist Church, and I'm glad I did because the address in the newspaper was wrong. But I stopped at another church in Gilbert to get the right address.
It was a full house of I suppose about 200 people. The foyer had displays of photographs, slides, and videos of Curt and his family working and playing. One one table was his pilot's hat and also a Viking baseball cap and, more familiar to most of us, his sand-colored stetson. On another table, there was some of his artistry-- wood carving, stained glass, and even crocheting.
The hour-long service featured Curt's favorite two hymns "It is Well With My Soul" and "I'll Fly Away." The pastor gave a message of hope and passed the microphone to those in the audience, and his friends from the areas as well as Lake Havasu and elsewhere had plenty of insightful comments to make. Steve Moore, who was at the reunion last summer, captured the spirit, determination, and joy on behalf of the family with well-chosen words.
Curt's death was sudden-- within a span of days. Among the last thing that Curt said after they pulled the breathing tube out was "My beautiful, beautiful Shirley. I see your smile."
And it was good to see Shirley's smile, although this time couldn't have been easy. It was also good to get to see again some of the children and grand children, many of whom were also at the reunion last year.
After the service, in the courtyard, people mingled while they shared memories and sipped lemonade and nibbled cookies. Shirley invited me to the luncheon afterwards at the church, and I was honored to be there with other members of the family.
My first real memories of Curt go back to the Norbeck reunion of '86 when I saw the elevator for the first time. Years later, we found we had a mutual interest in family history, and I appreciated his cheerful erudition and generosity in providing invaluable information that answered some longstanding questions. The boys were also impressed by this Swedish cowboy, and they enjoyed the go-carts and ice-cream sodas that Curt made possible. But, for me, the most outstanding quality of Curt's life is the love he showed to his Shirley and the "Wikids." That certainly came through in the photographs and videos I saw today-- the horse and camping trips, the plays, the parties, and so on.
Shirley tells me that there will be another memorial in April in South Dakota.
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