Louis H. Klimczak passed peacefully on October 8, 2026, at the age of 93. “Lucky Lou” was a true gentleman and a friend to all he met. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, attending St. Stanislaus grade school and St. Bonaventure High School. He was extremely proud to be a U.S. Army veteran, having served from 1953 to 1955 as a Corporal in Uijongbu, South Korea. He was classified as a mechanic and kept the helicopters on his base in perfect condition so they were always ready for spur-of-the-moment reconnaissance. After returning to Milwaukee, he worked at Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO) while attending Marquette University, where he earned his B.S. in Business Administration. His years in the Investor Relations Department at WEPCO were filled with hard work and friendship. He pitched on the company’s softball team and participated in a poker club that met monthly up until the late 1980’s. Most importantly, though, Lou met a beautiful coworker named Karen Sherman, who became his bride in 1964.

The two moved to Solar Heights in Mequon and went on to raise three children: Joseph, Stephen, and Lisa. As a devout Catholic, he was an active member of St. Cecilia Catholic Parish (later Lumen Christi), where he served as president of both the Parish Council and Knights of Columbus. He was also proud of his service to Catholic Knights Insurance Society, serving as Branch President and a member of the national Board of Directors. He was even an Alderman for the city of Mequon for several years, concluding his service in 1988.

Once the kids were grown up and out of the house, Lou was unable to sit around at home and instead took evening jobs bartending at Alpine Village and Boder’s. He eventually took early retirement from WEPCO to have a second career chapter as the Banquet Manager at Meyer’s Family Restaurant, which he compared to throwing a party every day!

Demonstrating the incredible work ethic that he passed on to his children, Lou didn’t retire from Meyer’s until he was in his early 80’s. Lou had a gift for remembering names, faces, and personal details of the people he’d met in every aspect of his life. His involvement in such varied activities meant that everywhere he’d go, he’d run into friends.

Lou loved traveling, another characteristic he passed on to his kids. He and Karen especially enjoyed traveling the country to see their friend, singer John Gary, perform. He was as comfortable exploring huge cities as he was relaxing on the beach or in the woods. Favorite places they visited included San Francisco, New York City, Fort Myers Beach, New Orleans, and most especially Door County, where he camped every summer from the 1960’s onward. (He even spent a post-retirement summer there working as the Golf Pro at Maxwelton Braes in Bailey’s Harbor!)

The Brewers, Bucks, and Packers held a special place in Lou’s heart. Sports talk dominated most family conversations and text strings. He could quote stats on players from teams in the 50’s to the present, and he enjoyed sharing tidbits he learned from the sports page and “the Google” every day. We are especially thrilled that he lived long enough to witness this year’s record-setting Brewers season! (Having him in heaven with Ueck can’t hurt our playoff chances either!) And…GO PACK GO!

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nick and Stephanie; in-laws, Celeste and Erwin Sherman; siblings: John, Phyllis, and Paul; and daughters-in-law, Ann Wescott and Lynn Wroblewski. He is survived by Karen, the love of his life and his wife of 62 years; his children; Joe, Steve (Jen), and Lisa (Christopher); his grandchildren; Celeste, Henry, and Clara; many nieces and nephews; his caregiver, Yolanda; and many special friends at Alexian Village.

Lou and the family have the utmost gratitude for the physicians and staff at the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, where he spent many weeks in his final years receiving the finest medical care imaginable. Special thanks to Doctors Alice Ching, Ananda Ray, Ted Jensen, Zubin Lathara, and Avery Hayes for their compassion and expertise.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight or the ACLU of Wisconsin would be gratefully received.

Services will be held at the Avina/Alexian Village Chapel, 9301 N. 76th Street, Milwaukee, on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m., with Mass at 11:00 a.m.