December 7, 2020 at 1:09 p.m.
Donald Peter Gurskey
Donald Peter Gurskey
Donald Peter Gurskey, longtime resident of Sugar Camp, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 at Cumberland Heights Assisted Living, after a battle with dementia, COVID-19 and pneumonia.
Donald Peter Gurskey was born July 6, 1939, in Merrill, to Grace (Sleppy) and Peter Gurskey. He attended St Francis Grade School and graduated from Merrill High School in 1957.
After he graduated from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau and attended UW-Stevens Point, Don proudly served his country as a radar technician in the United States Navy on the USS Pine Island from 1961-1965.
Don married the love of his life, Christine (Kunda), on July 1, 1967 at St. Kunegunda's Catholic Church in Sugar Camp.
He was an active member of St. Kunegunda's Parish for 53 years.
Don treasured the many life-long friendships he made while working at Daniels/Printpack for 30 years.
Don loved to hunt deer, ducks and pheasants and fish for walleye and muskies. He was always ready to greet you with a story and a beer and sure to have you laughing and smiling by the end.
Family trips to the mountains and attending his grandkids events were some of his favorite pastimes.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Grace (Sleppy) and Peter Gurskey; mother and father-in-law, Pauline (Lorbetske) and Clements Kunda I; special great- aunts, Rose Gurskey, Lula Reedich and Emma Kamke; brothers-in-law, Bill Welbes, Marve Muehlbauer, Fr. Brendan Kunda and Gene Maney; sister-in-law Terry (Mulhern) Kunda, nephew Aaron Kunda and grandson Bradley Miller.
Those of us here to cherish the memories include his beautiful bride of 53 years, Christine Gurskey of Sugar Camp, children Laura (Derek) Miller of Stevens Point, Jason (Dawn) Gurskey of Rhinelander, Nicole Gurskey of Sugar Camp; grandchildren: Amanda Miller (Robert Kne) of Clermont, Fla., Miriah Miller (Joe Sieg) of Phoenix, Ariz., Hunter Gurskey and Helina Gurskey of Rhinelander; sisters Marie Muehlbauer of Lake Havasu, Ariz., Margaret Welbes of Tomahawk, Dorothy (Al) Klempke of Crivitz; sisters-in-law, Karen Maney of Sugar Camp, Julie (Ron) Prazach of Sugar Camp; brothers-in-law Clements Kunda II of Derry, Northern Ireland, Kevin Kunda of Eagle River, and many nieces, nephews, great- and great-great nieces and nephews all of whom Don loved dearly.
A very special thank you to Kari and her staff at Cumberland Heights for all the TLC they gave Don since September, 2020. The family would also like to acknowledge the staff at St. Mary's SCU and Scott from Lakes Mobility.
A celebration of Don's life will be held at a later date.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hildebrand Funeral Home & Cremation Specialists, 24 E. Davenport Street, Rhinelander, Wisconsin 54501, 715-365-4343. Everyone is invited to sign the guestbook or leave an online condolence at www.hildebrandrussfh.com
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