Gary Ernest Kivi

APPLETON, Wis. - On Monday, June 18, 2018, Gary Ernest Kivi, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

A native of Ironwood, Michigan, Gary served in the Coast Guard for four years, as well as studied electronics and drafting engineering. Gary relocated with his wife, Carol (Wennersten) to Appleton, Wisconsin, where they raised their family. He was very active in his church and Junior Achievement. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, softball and spending time with this family. Gary retired from Wisconsin Bell Telephone after 27 years of devoted service where he worked his way up from Lineman to Plant Engineer. He was able to enjoy early retirement years on the lake in Shawano, Wisconsin.

Gary will be lovingly remembered by his children, Paul (Deanne), Michael (Christine), Cheryl (Dave) Kivi Lemanski, and Laura. Grandpa Gary will be dearly missed by his ten grandchildren: Emily, Katya, Nikolai, Meredith, Sam, Isaac, Annika, Autumn, Sebastian and Aubry. He will also be fondly remembered by his brother, Colin and sister, Kay. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Wilho & Evelyn (Nyman) Kivi and his brother, Dale.

The Funeral Service in memory of Gary will be held on Friday, June 22, at noon at Wichmann Funeral Home, 537 N. Superior Street in Appleton. Visitation will be held on Friday at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Interment will be held at Highland Memorial Park Cemetery in Appleton following the funeral service.

The Kivi family would like to thank both the Mayo Clinic and The Homeplace of Stanley for all their loving care over the years.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org, or by phone at 1-800-272-3900. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund will be established in Gary's name. Online condolences can be shared at: wichmannfargo.com.