DuWayne “Dewey” Feickert
DuWayne (Dewey) Jacob Feickert, age 70, passed away at home April 2, 2018 in Prairie du Chien, WI. A Celebration of DuWayne’s life is being planned and will be announced at a later date.
Dewey was born August 29, 1947 in the Decorah Hospital, the fifth of nine children born to Theodore and Irene (Meyer) Feickert. He grew up on a farm east of Nordness in Winneshiek County and attended the Red Oak one-room schoolhouse and then South Winneshiek Schools after Red Oak closed. He was baptized and confirmed at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church.
At the start of his high school years, the family moved to a farm just north of Frankville, at which point he transferred to Postville High School, from which he graduated in 1965. While in high school, Dewey excelled at wrestling, lettering all four years and enjoying a particularly strong senior year until he was derailed by an elbow injury during the sectional tournament.
After graduation, Dewey went to Cedar Rapids where he worked full-time jobs at both Penick and Ford and at Wilson’s. He returned to Postville the next year, marrying Joann Carlson in 1967 and having three sons, Scott, Timothy and Brent. They divorced in 1990.
While in Postville, Dewey worked for Impact Milling from 1966 to 1967, Postville Implement from 1967 to 1984 and the Allamakee-Clayton Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) from 1984 to 2004. He was a member of the Postville Fire Department from 1971 to 1996 and served as Fire Chief for the department for several years.
He married Judith (Judy) Roberts in 1992 and together they owned and operated the Postville Bakery and Restaurant from 1991 to 2004. He retired from the REC and the bakery due to health reasons but, no fan of retirement, took on jobs as a truck driver and car transport driver. DuWayne and Judy moved to Prairie du Chien, WI in 2015.
From his childhood to his final years in Prairie du Chien, one of Dewey’s greatest pleasures was spending time on the Mississippi River, whether fishing with family and friends, taking his sons camping on a sandbar, or spending time on the houseboat, fishing and partying with the D-Dock family. Even when he was in town, he found reasons to be outside, including gardening and yardwork.
Dewey had great mechanical prowess and enjoyed the challenge of diagnosing why something wasn’t working and figuring out how to repair it. He was always quick to lend a helping hand, some know-how (though certain fishing tips stayed secret), tools, or a candid and often humorous assessment of people and things.
Dewey was preceded in death by his father, Ted; his mother, Irene; his brother, Allen; and his brothers-in-law, James Perez and William Kelley. He is survived by his wife, Judy; his sons, Scott (Beth) of Bloomington, IN, Tim of Longmont, CO and Brent (Nichole) of Webster City; his stepson, Steven (Heather), and stepdaughter, Jennifer (Elmer) Herrera, both of Black River Falls, WI; his sisters, Norma (Wayne) Hemry of Ossian, Joyce (Milton) Nelson of Freeport, Judy (Michael) Moore of Bluffton, Vicky Kelley (and longtime companion Max Montgomery) of Ankeny and Rhonda (Doug) Koenig of Frankville; his brothers, Lloyd (Marsha) of Marion and Jeff (Sharon) of Frankville; his sister-in-law, Susan, of Marion; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
The Garrity Funeral Home of Prairie du Chien, WI assisted the family. More information can be found at www.garrityfuneralhome.com.
