Leo J Wylie

Baraboo- Leo James Wylie, 72, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on July 3, 2008 at St. Clare™s Hospital in Baraboo.  Leo was born February 9, 1936 during a blizzard in Aberdeen, South Dakota.  He graduated from Barnard High School in 1954 and married Joan Robinson on September 4 of that year. Leo was a dedicated, hard working family man.  He joined the Bureau of Reclamation in 1962 and moved to Lovell, Wyoming.  While there he was involved in the building of the Yellowtail Dam on the borders of Wyoming and Montana.  From Lovell, the family traveled to McIntosh, SD where Leo began his 31 year career with the Soil Conservation Service.  He graduated from SDSU in Brookings, SD with a BS degree in civil engineering in 1972.  Leo was devoted to his family and coached Little League baseball, went hunting and fishing, was a volunteer fireman and even found the time to fill in as an OTR truck driver on occasion. 
In 1978, Leo moved to Madison, WI and became the State Conservation Civil Engineer.  He traveled all over the state designing, building, supervising, and inspecting projects.  He made many friends during the course of his travels. With the invention of the computer, Leo found a new passion with writing programs.  He helped a brother-in-law set up computer files for his trucking firm and rekindled his love of trucking.  He bought a semi, hired a driver and set up business.  In 1994, he retired from the Soil Conservation Service, bought a second truck and hit the road.  He loved the adventure of going everywhere and the challenge of making his deliveries on time. In 1998, his wife, Joan, suffered a severe stroke and he immediately became her caregiver.  He was always ready to help people in need.  In 2000, he sold his trucks but his love of driving led him to assist people with disabilities.  After the loss of his beloved wife in 2003, he devoted his energies to caring for others.  He enjoyed this until he was forced to retire when he was diagnosed with dementia. Leo was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Wayne, his wife, Joan, his sons Leo, Jr. (Jim) and Gerald (Jerry). He is survived by his daughter, Linda Garza of Madison, WI, granddaughters Carrie and Kimberly Garza of Madison, WI, Annie Wylie of Sioux Falls, SD, grandsons James (Jerry) and Joseph Wylie of Rapid City, SD, sister-in-law Ardella (Wayne) Wylie of Huron, SD, brothers Donald (Marilyn) of Sioux Falls, SD, Laverne (Beverly) and Darol (Billie) of Hutchinson, MN and his sister Evelyn Fisher also of Hutchinson, MN and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express deep gratitude to Bernard Micke, MD, his nurse Cheryl, the staff at Clare Bridge of Middleton, and the staff of St. Clare™s Hospital in Baraboo with special thanks to nurses Jessica and Julius and Dr. Hamburg for their tender care. A funeral Service will be held on Friday, July 11, 2008 at Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home at 10:00AM. Burial will immediately follow at Mountain View Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2008 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Alzheimer™s Association or the Natural Resource Defense Council.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road
608-238-3434
www.cressfuneralservice.com