Obituaries

 

Andrew C. “Mike” Lewison

ARLINGTON –  Andrew C. “Mike” Lewison, age 73, of Arlington, went to Heaven on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at the Lodi Good Samaritan Center.

Andrew Charles “Mike” Lewison was born July 2, 1938, in Otsego Township, Otsego, WI.

Out of respect for a Great Uncle, he was named Andrew; out of love for a friend, he is called Mike.

Mike married his long-time sweetheart, Judi Tomlinson on April 29, 1970 in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.

He believed in our Blessed Lord. He was a wonderful husband. He was a great Daddy and Grandpa. He was a caring brother.
He was a true friend.

Music was important to Mike, especially polkas.  He learned how to dance while milking cows, listening to the “Old Timers Jamboree” on WIBU. 

Mike and Judi’s story is truly a love story. They grew up as friends and dancing partners at the ages of 6 and 14. But, as the years passed friends and family saw the bond grow. 

They went dancing at Rio, Fall River, Columbus, Fox Lake, Poynette, Beaver Dam, and the old village hall in Arlington.

Mike decided to teach Judi how to drive, using a 1960 Dodge.  They traveled from Rio to Gays Mills during the Apple Orchard Festival. They returned with a 50 cent bag of apples and no dents on the car.  On Monday she got her license.

 Mike enjoyed spending time with his wife and children. Memories abound as the family enjoyed picnics, vacations, camping, snowmobiling, and dancing around the state.

Travels into Minnesota and Canada (with a 2 year old and a 3 year old) introduced the family to other styles of polka music.  His pride showed as he watched his children dancing together. He was so pleased when Angela finally learned the “hop polka”.

The world saw the dedicated Father, while they attended Lodi schools. Shortly after an “open house” Johnnie Mike turned in a report, he had spent an entire weekend working on.  Someone poured the papers on the school bus floor – making them muddy and torn.  The 3rd grade teacher refused to accept the work and he left school, looking for his Daddy.  He found his anxious parents looking for him.  Mike was fresh from the farm and with dripping boots walked into the newly remodeled school with his son.

Angela was active in band and wherever they went, he was there.  The band traveled many places, from Wisconsin Dells to Milwaukee.  He was ever present with water bottles.  The band won an award at Wild West Days, Mazomanie.  The band had already left; Mike accepted the trophy on their behalf.

In the mid 70’s, he discovered snowmobiling.  The family represented the Arlington Prairie Drifters at the WSA Convention in Wausau.  Polka music by Howie Sturtz band was the entertainment.  At one point, Mike owned 14 snowmobiles (8 were Rupps).

The family attended a polka fest at the Holiday Inn, Wisconsin Dells in 1989.  The owner approached and asked if they had ideas to make the fest more successful.  Their first polka fest was in the Spring of 1990.  Such a fun crowd appeared that the owner did not know what he was going to do with all of them.  Twice a year for 10 years they put together the fest.  Dancers numbered from 1800 to 5400 for each fest.  Travels promoting the fest took them to Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and many places in Wisconsin.

Mike did not enjoy dancing on tile floors.  He built a dance floor with “bounce”.  His first dance floor was used at the Poynette Fireman’s Picnic.  It went home to Baraboo.  His floors found homes in Sun Prairie, Oregon, Lone Rock, Appleton, Neshkoro, Wisconsin Rapids, and Wisconsin Dells.

Mike would introduce himself according to his job.  “I plant the corn for Caldwell Farms”, about 4200 acres.  He worked there for more than 20 years.

Mike was asked by Dick Herschleb to come to work at the U.W. Research Farms, Arlington.  He was so proud to tell people, “I work for U.W. Research Center, Arlington, I’m Mike”.  He and a co-worker got drenched cleaning out a retaining pond; he provided transportation for educated fall-out (hauled manure), and more.  But, the job he liked best was mowing and clipping around the research plots and waterways.  Each time he found a little more to do, until he was doing areas that never were a part of the plan.  One of his supervisors said “it did my heart good every time I came around the corner and saw how nice it all looks”.  A member of the Board of Regents said, “it looks like a well-groomed park”.  How proud he was to be a member of that awesome team.  Mike retired after 20 years, January 7, 2011. 

As Mike was traveling to Heaven, the PBS station had the Lawrence Welk show on – they were playing the “Clarinet Polka”.

Mike leaves behind his loving wife, Judi, Arlington; daughter, Angela Jauneau, Creil, France; “daughter” Tanya Lewison, Tomahawk; three grandchildren, Kayla Lewison, Madison, and Alexandria Lewison and Andrew Lewison, Tomahawk; two sisters, Dorothy (Roger) Corliss, Beaver Dam, Alice Wheeler, Beaver Dam; his mother-in-law, Leora Tomlinson, Poynette, other relatives and many friends. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harvey and Hulda (Hohlstein) Lewison, his brother, Robert Lewison, his brother-in-law, Ken Wheeler, his father-in-law, John Tomlinson, and his loving son, John Michael Lewison, in 2010.

Services will be held at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on County Hwy K, Leeds, with Rev. Scott Schwertfeger officiating.  Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 15, 2012 at the church, and on Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 11:30 a.m., also at the church.  Internment will be held at Hillside Cemetery in Poynette.  The Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Poynette is assisting the family.

 

Obituaries
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