Ronald Victor Wiecki

Ronald (Ron) Victor Wiecki of Madison, WI, died on March 7, 2019 at the age of 63 at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, WI.

On February 21, 1956, Ron was the first child born to Victor and Dorothy (Kasuboski) Wiecki of Berlin, WI. Due to his father's work as a funeral director, Ron spent his childhood living in various communities around Wisconsin, including Watertown, Fond du Lac, Superior and Menasha. Ron attended J. F. K. Preparatory School for his high school education in St. Nazianz, WI, graduating in 1974. Here he discovered his interest for photography, to which he would return later in life.

A talented pianist from an early age, Ron graduated in 1981 with a degree in Piano Performance from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. Ron was drawn to the historical study of music and moved to Madison, WI to pursue his PhD in Musicology at the University of Wisconsin, which he completed in 1992. After a career in music publishing, Ron returned to UW Madison to obtain a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science, graduating in May 2006.

Ron became a music librarian at Mills Music Library in the Memorial Library at UW Madison, until his retirement in 2017. He was responsible for organizing the material and metadata for digital collections of visual materials, for publishing on the web. This was a vast undertaking and something Ron was extremely proud of during his career.

Ron's greatest joy in life was becoming the parent of twins, Paul and Emily Wiecki, to whom he was always a kind, caring and supportive father. Together they formed a loving bond. Ron and his kids enjoyed their time together watching tennis, hiking and taking long drives in the country with music blaring. Ron and his children saw each other every day for the last three months of his life.

Ron married Sara Lubbers on August 4, 2007 in Madison, WI. They shared a strong bond of love that ended way too soon by Ron's terminal cancer diagnosis. Together they enjoyed traveling places near and far, fine dining, and quiet time at home. They continually encouraged and supported each other's interests. In August 2018, Sara and Ron were able to take their "dream trip" to Europe for a Rhine River Cruise, followed by a week with Paul in Karlsruhe, Germany, where he currently lives.

In addition to Ron's academic achievements, he was a skilled photographer, with the ability to draw viewers into the "mystery" of his photos. His photographs were included in juried shows and exhibited at Madison's Overture Center for the Arts and the UW Hospital and Clinics.

Survivors include Ron's children Paul Wiecki (Josh Hellyer) of Karlsruhe, Germany and Emily Wiecki (Paul Jorgenson) of Madison, WI; his wife Sara Lubbers of Madison, WI; his parents Victor and Dorothy Wiecki of Brookfield, WI; his six siblings Richard Wiecki of San Carlos, CA; Peter Wiecki (Kim) of Bristow, VA; Nancy Wiecki of Brookfield, WI; Judi Wiecki of Duluth, MN; Angela Pitzrick (Darin) of Neenah, WI; and Ann Marie Lanser (John) of West Bend, WI. In addition, Ron is survived by ten nieces and nephews; one great nephew; the mother of Paul and Emily, Anne Waymouth of Marblehead, MA; brother-in-law Paul Lubbers (Kathy) of Key Biscayne, FL; and sister-in-law Pascale Dhellemme of Madison, WI.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 East Gorham Street, Madison, WI. The family will greet friends immediately following the service. A formal time of visitation will not be held.

The family wishes to thank Ron's Agrace Hospice home team and the Agrace inpatient staff for their dedication, care and professionalism, along with the staff at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and Palliative Care team.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to the following organizations can be made by designating your gift in memory of Ron Wiecki:
Agrace Hospice, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711
www.agrace.org/donate

Community Immigration Law Center, 944 E. Gorham St., Madison, WI 53703 www.cilcmadison.org/donate

Museum of Wisconsin Art, 205 Veterans Ave., West Bend, WI 53095 www.wisconsinart.org/support

Monetary gifts to help offset medical expenses and travel expenses for Paul can be given at:
https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-ron-and-sara

Ron's gentleness, quiet manner, and beautiful smile will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.