Samuel E. Michel was born March 23, 1949, the son of Robert and Gwen Michel of Kendall, where he was raised on the family farm. He passed away at age 66, due to cancer, on May 23, 2015, at his home in Rhinelander, Wis. He was surrounded by his loving wife Sally, children Emily, Shane, and Timothy Michel, his sister Sharon, and stepson Jody.
He attended Glendale Country School in rural Kendall through the eighth grade and was a 1967 graduate of Royall High School in Elroy. While in high school, he worked on his parents’ farm and for several other farmers in the Kendall area. Upon graduation, he moved to Janesville and worked at the General Motors plant, where he made many friends, including Dennis Turner, with whom he continued to keep in contact throughout his life.
He was drafted into the Army in 1969 and served as a radio/teletype/crypto machine operator while stationed in West Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1971 and returned to General Motors. Later he also worked for a communication-tower company and traveled all over the country.
In 1973, he purchased a dairy farm near Kendall, as that always had been his dream. In May 1974, he married Kathryn O’Gara, and they had two children, Emily and Shane. They were divorced in 1994. In 1976, he started his over-the-road trucking career, which he continued for the rest of his life. He sold the farm in 1980 and moved to Wilton.
In 1994, he moved to Rhinelander, Wis., where he met and later married the love of his life, Sally Goldbeck, on Aug. 27, 1998. Together they had a son, Timothy. In February 2006, he and his friend Mark Ludeking went in partnership on a trucking company they named Baraboo River Express. They were very good friends and made a great team. Sadly, Mark passed away in June 2007. Sam missed him enormously but continued the company until his own death.
He liked to play cards and almost always won at checkers. He was always up for a good laugh and could easily visit with even strangers as if they had always known each other. He fished and, in his younger years, went deer hunting. He also really enjoyed going to the casino.
Sam was the most fun dad a kid could ask for. He was always teasing and playing with them and could be like a kid himself. They went on the road with him, and he took them fishing and on many, many numerous other adventures. Wherever he was, they wanted to be, and usually their friends wanted to be there, too. He always said with a chuckle, “If I can’t have fun with my kids, who can I have fun with?” They all three have a treasure trove of memories to last forever.
He adored his wife Sally, and she lovingly cared for him throughout his bouts with cancer as well as through all the good times, too. They were a good match and truly loved each other.
He is survived by his wife, Sally; his children, Emily Michel (Chris Boggs), Shane Michel and Timothy Michel; and his stepchildren, Dody Goldbeck and Jody Goldbeck. He is further survived by his parents, Robert and Gwen Michel; his sister, Sharon Newsom; his brother, Gary Michel; his sister, Joanne Michel (David Esque); his grandchildren, Jenna Bell, Dylan Bell, Matthew and Michael Boggs, and Kohnar Gamroth-Michel; and his step-grandchildren, Gase, Jackson, and Maxwell Wubker. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends, including Gary Wolfgram, and all of his trucking friends, especially John Hassett and Dan Faccin.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents; his brother, Don Michel; his stepdaughter, Kerry Goldbeck; his niece, Amy Michel; and several aunts and uncles.
Sam was one of the kindest men you could ever know. Even when someone had taken advantage of him time and time again, he’d help if help were needed. Not many would do that, and he was a better man for it. His giving and forgiving nature was a gift to all who knew him.
Per his request, he will be cremated and his ashes will be spread on his parents’ farm on Owatonna Avenue, near Kendall, at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6, with military honors. Friends and family may call at that time.
May he rest in peace.
