Carl N. Przychocki, 81, of Mosinee, quietly slipped into the presence of his Lord on October 4, 2018, at his home, under the care of Aspirus Hospice Services. Carl was born January 24, 1937, in his family home at 10th and Lapham, Milwaukee, in the Polish historical district on the city’s south side. His parents were Carl Alex and Sophie Ann (Bureta) Przychocki, both born in Wisconsin.
With the zeal of a young Tom Sawyer and his friends, Carl enjoyed his Milwaukee boyhood. Summer… Read More » days were spent on neighborhood playgrounds practicing softball. Carl was a lifelong Cubs fan.
Ernie Banks was his favorite player. His most prized possession as a child was a Louisville Slugger baseball bat engraved by Banks. On warm evenings, they played back street basketball under the lights.
That street is presently I-94. After winter snowfalls, Carl and friends walked to the high Mitchell Park hill with pieces of cardboard from a neighborhood furniture store, for lack of sleds. Years later, the Mitchell Park Domes were built where they had enjoyed sliding.
Carl once wrote about his childhood: “I tried to enjoy each and every day, and I did it in so many different ways”. After graduating from St. Stanislaus Grade School, he was enrolled at nearby Boys Tech High School to explore training as a machinist like his father. He became skilled as a mechanic instead, eventually owning a Texaco gas station.
At 18, he joined the Marines, but after three months at Camp Pendleton, was given a general discharge due to the discovery of a heart murmur. Sadly, untreated, it led to many critical heart problems later in life. In 1959 at age 22, Carl started a family, marrying Shirley Erickson Jordan, a young widow with three small children.
Together, Shirley and Carl had three more children. For years, he enjoyed music and dancing at the Blue Canary. At 25, he started a polka band that performed at wedding dances and other functions.
Carl played his accordion and sang with his drummer and banjo player. He was a good bowler, once scoring 300; a good golfer, usually scoring low 40’s; and a lifelong fisherman. He treasured the fun of being part of a large extended family that played together and loved each other.
Over his lifetime, he used his organizational strengths to plan many gatherings for his family and for church events, especially the games. He was skillful and competitive at game-playing, and strictly enforced the rules. For Carl at 46, the fun in life came to an extended halt when a judge issued a divorce decree for the couple in 1983, after 24 years of marriage.
At Carl’s lowest point emotionally, the Lord began to work in his life to draw him close, into a new kind of relationship. God worked through the person of Carl’s nephew, Jim Morgenroth, who was a strong believer in Jesus Christ. Jim invited Carl to a Valentine’s Day event where many couples shared their stories of becoming changed people.
They told how they received God’s gift of eternal life by simply believing what Jesus Christ did on the cross for them. Carl took several leaflets home to read more about what he had heard. Weeks later, on February 25, 1990, he prayed to ask Christ to come into his life and thanked Him for His love in dying for him.
He was later baptized in Lake Michigan by his new pastor, Marc Erickson. Carl’s life began to change immediately. He was highly motivated to learn all he could about living life in Christ.
He couldn’t contain his happiness, so he began to share the way to receive salvation with all around him. He attended several weekly Bible studies at church and in homes, began to memorize Scripture, and started a prayer life. After seeing his prayers answered as years went by, he began to pray that the Lord would guide him to a wife.
The name Pat came into his mind while praying, but Carl didn’t know a Pat, so he dismissed it. At the urging of his children, he moved to Mosinee in 2000 to live closer to four of them. At Charlie’s Hardware, he asked a stranger standing in line with him if she could recommend a church to attend in town.
“Good News,” she said. A few weeks later at that church, a woman introduced herself to Carl as the administrative assistant, who was trying to meet all newcomers. “My name is Pat,” she said.
They married on January 5, 2003, and have served together in many ministries since. Carl was employed at North Central Health Care for 14 years as a medivan driver, courier, and school bus driver. He reported to work at 6:00 a.m. daily, but he arose at 3:00 a.m. daily to spend two hours in Bible study and prayer to start each day.
The Lord has truly blessed his faithfulness. He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Patricia Herschberger. In addition, he is survived by the three children of his first wife Shirley: Douglas (Carey) Jordan, Debra Jordan Garay, and Margaret Jordan.
He is also survived by the three children born to Carl and Shirley: Linda (Bill) Carey, Phillip (Kimberlisa) Przychocki, and Jane (Jim) Gannigan. He is further survived by the two children of his second wife Pat: Marie (Heath) Martens and Daniel (Emily) Herschberger. Finally, survived by 18 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 15 nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, Carl was preceded in death by his three sisters: Evelyn (Ervin) Galten, Felice (Al Morgenroth) (Frank) Klapka, and Maxine (Al) Piechowski, nephew Mark Piechowski, and nieces Suzie Longoria and Jill Klapka. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Bethany Baptist Church, 6601 Alderson St., Schofield. Pastor Kim Swenson will officiate.
Visitation will be held at the church from noon until the service at 1:00. Mid-Wisconsin Cremation Society is assisting the family. On-line condolences may be expressed at www.
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