Donald H. Picha, 52, of Portage, Wis., and formerly of the Hillsboro/Elroy areas passed away Monday April 28, 2014, at his residence in Portage.
He was born on Aug. 8, 1961, to Emil and Doris (Knutson) Picha in Hillsboro, where he grew to adulthood and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1980. He took an early interest in emergency medical services and served with the Hillsboro Fire Department and did ambulance work. In 1984, Don graduated from mortuary school at MATC in Milwaukee and has worked in funeral service ever since. For 20 years, he also operated the Picha Furniture Store in Elroy, along with the funeral home there.
In 2009, a new venture took him to Portage to operate a funeral home in that community. He became an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and a member of the Portage Rotary, and he helped as a crossing guard. And one thing that truly became a highlight for him was his friendship with the group stopping for breakfast at McDonalds in Portage.
So many things can be thought of for a person who dies at an early age, but one thing he truly loved was his family. Don is survived by his son, Jacob (Jessica) Picha and his recently born grandson, Jase Morgan of Virginia Beach, Va; his daughter, Jenna Picha of Madison; and the mother of their children, Doreen. He is further survived by his parents, Emil and Doris Picha of Hillsboro; his siblings, Gary (Helen) Picha of Wisconsin Dells, Mara Jo (Ron) Johnson of Mount Horeb, Wis., and Alan (Nancy) Picha of Hillsboro; and several nieces and nephews, whom he also enjoyed.
Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 850 Armstrong St., Portage, with his friends, Rev. Alan Boeck and Rev. Blake Overlien, officiating. Burial will be in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Hillsboro. Friends may call at the Picha Funeral Home in Elroy on Thursday, May 1, 2–8 p.m. and at the church in Portage on Friday from 12–1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given for the St. John’s Lutheran Church.
