Michael "Mick" Lucey

Michael “Mick” Joseph Lucey, 83, died on Sunday, January 21, 2018, at the home of his daughter, with his family beside him.

Mick was born October 20, 1934, in Ferryville, Wis., the sixth of twelve children born to Daniel and Irene (Finley) Lucey. After graduating from Gays Mills High School, he served in the United States Army in Germany. He was a member of the Engineering Corps which built roads and bridges. In September of 2017, Mick was scheduled to go on the Freedom Honor Flight, but was recuperating from a broken hip and was unable to go.

In 1959, Mick married the love of his life, Agnes DeFlorian. They saw each other at Saturday night Mass at St. Charles Catholic Church in Genoa and ended up as dance partners that evening at the Avalon. They were married 53 years when Agnes passed away in 2013.

Early in his married life, Mick worked as a meat cutter at the Piggly Wiggly in Viroqua. He also drove an oil truck for his brother-in-law, Bud. In 1966, he started work at Trane Company in La Crosse and retired after 31 years. Not one to just sit around, he got a part-time job after retirement shuttling cars for Saturn of La Crosse with several of his buddies. When the dealership closed, he became a janitor at IHT on French Island until they closed also.

Being a good Irishman, Mick was friendly to everyone he met and a short trip to the store often took an hour or more because there was always someone to talk to. He was generous to everyone. He raked, mowed and shoveled for many of his neighbors who couldn’t, and drove them to church or appointments.

Mick enjoyed his yard and took great pride in his vegetable and flower gardens. Even though he owned a riding mower, he cut his near-acre yard with a push mower because he said it looked much better. He was active in St. Pius X Men’s Club, Aquinas Booster Club, Trane 25-Year Club and the Moose Lodge. He also loved attending all the sporting events and music concerts of his eleven grandchildren.

Every day, Mick called each of his four children, many of his grandchildren, and friends and siblings just to keep current. Somedays it was not uncommon to get two or three calls for just one more thing. He enjoyed watching all sports, Wheel of Fortune, discussing politics and the stock market, and, when he was in good health, he enjoyed a trip or two or three to “the Boat” each week.

He is survived by his children, Patrick (Darla) and their children, Makayla, Megan, Josh and Jared (Morgan Miller), Michael (Mary Belling) and children, Jake, Addison and Nathaniel, Timothy (Karen) and their children, Marc (Brittany) and Emily (Bryan Jacobs), and Teresa (David) Brown and their children, Ryan and Andrew. He is also survived by siblings, Jean Curti, Philip (Jan), John (Cheryl), Mark (Phylis), Mary Monahan, and Rita (Lew) Kollmansberger; brothers-in-law, Bernard “Bud” (Joyce) DeFlorian and Darwin “Sonny” (Doris) Lord; sisters-in-law, Joan Hartley and Ann Lucey; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife, Agnes, Mick was also preceded in death by grandchildren, Molly and Joel; his parents and in-laws; brothers, James, Bernard and Jerry; and sisters, Margaret Mary and Sister Elizabeth.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, January 24 ^th , at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in La Crosse. Rev. Rick Roberts will officiate. Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Catholic Cemetery. Family and friends may call from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse, where a prayer service will begin at 6:30 p.m., and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass on Wednesday at the church.