Raymond Wika

Clarkfield, MN- Raymond Wika, 86 of Clarkfield and formally of Grenville died on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at Clarkfield Care Center. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 A.M. Saturday, June 9, 2007 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Grenville, Fr. Thomas Cool will celebrate the mass. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Fiksdal Funeral Service of Webster is in charge of the arrangements. Raymond James Wika was born on Friday, February 11, 1921 to Peter and Valeria (Kwasniewski) Wika on the family farm southwest of Grenville, South Dakota. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. He attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School. After graduation from high school, he joined the U.S. Army. Three years later he transferred to the Air Force and became a pilot. During World War II, while on a bombing mission, his plane was shot down and Ray was held captive for eighteen months in Barth, Germany until being liberated three months before the end of the war. On December 31, 1946 he married Cecilia Lesnar at Ft. Snelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He continued his military service for twenty two years before retiring from the military in 1962. Then, he began a career with the U.S. Postal Service until retiring in 1976. He made his home in St. Paul, Minnesota until 1994 when he came to live with his daughter, Margaret and family in Cottonwood, Minnesota. He entered Clarkfield Care Center in Clarkfield, Minnesota in 2000. Raymond passed away on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at Clarkfield, Minnesota at the age of 86 years, 3 months and 20 days. Survivors include his children; Margaret (Richard) Jolstad of Cottonwood, MN, Thomas (Glenda) Wika of Thornton, CO, Marcella (Duane) Dahl of Sioux Falls, SD, Barbara (Brett) Bauer of Gettysburg, SD and Lawrence Wika of Minneapolis, MN; one brother, Godfrey Wika of Roslyn, SD; two sisters, Florence (Leon) Fleming of Florence, SD and Frances (John) Boik of Cornville, AZ; ten grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, one son, James, three sisters, Philomoena, Clara nd Amanda; and four brothers, Philip, Leonard, Sylvester and Julius.