Gomer Edward Massie, 97, died Saturday, July 5, 2008, at Luther Midelfort Northland Hospital, Barron, Wis., lovingly surrounded by members of his family.
He was born July 1, 1911, to Gomer Robert and Alice (Conner) Massie at the family farm in the Town of Sioux Creek, Barron County. After graduating from Sioux Creek Grade School, also known as the Massie School, Gomer graduated from Barron High School. He and his siblings rode the Blueberry Train from Dallas to Barron on Sunday and home again on Friday so they could attend high school during the week while boarding at a house in Barron.
At the age of seven he learned to ski jump on a pair of barrel staves; his first ski jump was made of snow he piled at the base of a hill. He later acquired jumping skis and honed his skills on jumps he built of wood on hills near his home. As a young man he was a member of the Ridgeland Ski Club and actively ski-jumped as a Class A jumper under the name Sonny Massie.
Gomer competed in many ski jump tournaments near Ridgeland, Dallas, Chetek, Cameron, Sioux Creek, Eau Claire, Strum, Whitehall and Washburn as well as in Minnesota at Duluth, the Twin Cities and at the National Tournament in Red Wing.
He jumped as far north as Suicide Mountain in Ishpeming, Mich., and as far south as Soldiers Field in Chicago, Ill., where a jump was built over the bleachers. His longest unofficial jumping distance was 180 feet and his longest official jump was 166 feet at a time when skis were very heavy and made of wood.
On Aug. 11, 1940, he married Dorothy Cowin at Chetek. They operated the dairy farm on the Massie family homestead. He loved his farm and living in the house where he was born. During months when he was not crop farming, he was the sawyer on his portable sawmill, sawing the lumber for many barns, sheds and houses in the county.
He was a founding member in 1946 of the Farm Service Co-op, a milk-hauling cooperative formed to sell milk at the Turtle Lake Creamery. A former chairman, he retired from the board in 1965.
He enjoyed picnicking, deer hunting, fishing, bowling, golfing, reading, card playing, rock hounding trips, horseshoeing, playing harmonica, dancing, camping and picking blueberries. He was active on a kittenball team, camping club, card playing club, the Dallas Methodist Church, two square dance clubs and the Barron County Gem and Mineral Society.
He enjoyed day trips with his family while farming and upon retirement, he and his wife traveled to many states. He especially loved their trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming and Florida. Internationally, they enjoyed cruises and visited Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
He won horseshoe events throughout the area and in 1987, placed first in his age group at the World Championship Horseshoe Tournament in Eau Claire. He especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends.
Surviving are daughters, Joan (Dennis) Kieser of Thorp, Jean Massie of Salem, Ore., Zita (Jack) Harrison of Dodgeville and Marilyn (David) Briggs of Dallas; grandchildren, Desilyn (Alan) Tyznik, Mark (Tracy) Kieser, Craig (Kim) Kieser and Bill (Shari) Briggs; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Gomer was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years; his parents; a granddaughter, Wendy Briggs; sisters, Letitia (William Lyon), Hazel Lindblad and Myrtle (Harold Cowin); brothers, John (Mildred), Robert (Theo) and an infant brother, Hugh; and a brother-in-law, Ralph (Doris) Cowin.
Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, from Dallas Lutheran Church, with Rev. Bob Friese officiating and interment at Dallas Cemetery.
Rausch-Lundeen Funeral Home, Dallas, handled arrangements.
He was born July 1, 1911, to Gomer Robert and Alice (Conner) Massie at the family farm in the Town of Sioux Creek, Barron County. After graduating from Sioux Creek Grade School, also known as the Massie School, Gomer graduated from Barron High School. He and his siblings rode the Blueberry Train from Dallas to Barron on Sunday and home again on Friday so they could attend high school during the week while boarding at a house in Barron.
At the age of seven he learned to ski jump on a pair of barrel staves; his first ski jump was made of snow he piled at the base of a hill. He later acquired jumping skis and honed his skills on jumps he built of wood on hills near his home. As a young man he was a member of the Ridgeland Ski Club and actively ski-jumped as a Class A jumper under the name Sonny Massie.
Gomer competed in many ski jump tournaments near Ridgeland, Dallas, Chetek, Cameron, Sioux Creek, Eau Claire, Strum, Whitehall and Washburn as well as in Minnesota at Duluth, the Twin Cities and at the National Tournament in Red Wing.
He jumped as far north as Suicide Mountain in Ishpeming, Mich., and as far south as Soldiers Field in Chicago, Ill., where a jump was built over the bleachers. His longest unofficial jumping distance was 180 feet and his longest official jump was 166 feet at a time when skis were very heavy and made of wood.
On Aug. 11, 1940, he married Dorothy Cowin at Chetek. They operated the dairy farm on the Massie family homestead. He loved his farm and living in the house where he was born. During months when he was not crop farming, he was the sawyer on his portable sawmill, sawing the lumber for many barns, sheds and houses in the county.
He was a founding member in 1946 of the Farm Service Co-op, a milk-hauling cooperative formed to sell milk at the Turtle Lake Creamery. A former chairman, he retired from the board in 1965.
He enjoyed picnicking, deer hunting, fishing, bowling, golfing, reading, card playing, rock hounding trips, horseshoeing, playing harmonica, dancing, camping and picking blueberries. He was active on a kittenball team, camping club, card playing club, the Dallas Methodist Church, two square dance clubs and the Barron County Gem and Mineral Society.
He enjoyed day trips with his family while farming and upon retirement, he and his wife traveled to many states. He especially loved their trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming and Florida. Internationally, they enjoyed cruises and visited Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
He won horseshoe events throughout the area and in 1987, placed first in his age group at the World Championship Horseshoe Tournament in Eau Claire. He especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends.
Surviving are daughters, Joan (Dennis) Kieser of Thorp, Jean Massie of Salem, Ore., Zita (Jack) Harrison of Dodgeville and Marilyn (David) Briggs of Dallas; grandchildren, Desilyn (Alan) Tyznik, Mark (Tracy) Kieser, Craig (Kim) Kieser and Bill (Shari) Briggs; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Gomer was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years; his parents; a granddaughter, Wendy Briggs; sisters, Letitia (William Lyon), Hazel Lindblad and Myrtle (Harold Cowin); brothers, John (Mildred), Robert (Theo) and an infant brother, Hugh; and a brother-in-law, Ralph (Doris) Cowin.
Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, from Dallas Lutheran Church, with Rev. Bob Friese officiating and interment at Dallas Cemetery.
Rausch-Lundeen Funeral Home, Dallas, handled arrangements.
Gomer Edward Massie, 97, died Saturday, July 5, 2008, at Luther Midelfort Northland Hospital, Barron, Wis., lovingly surrounded by members of his family.
He was born July 1, 1911, to Gomer Robert and Alice (Conner) Massie at the family farm in the Town of Sioux Creek, Barron County. After graduating from Sioux Creek Grade School, also known as the Massie School, Gomer graduated from Barron High School. He and his siblings rode the Blueberry Train from Dallas to Barron on Sunday and home again on Friday so they could attend high school during the week while boarding at a house in Barron.
At the age of seven he learned to ski jump on a pair of barrel staves; his first ski jump was made of snow he piled at the base of a hill. He later acquired jumping skis and honed his skills on jumps he built of wood on hills near his home. As a young man he was a member of the Ridgeland Ski Club and actively ski-jumped as a Class A jumper under the name Sonny Massie.
Gomer competed in many ski jump tournaments near Ridgeland, Dallas, Chetek, Cameron, Sioux Creek, Eau Claire, Strum, Whitehall and Washburn as well as in Minnesota at Duluth, the Twin Cities and at the National Tournament in Red Wing.
He jumped as far north as Suicide Mountain in Ishpeming, Mich., and as far south as Soldiers Field in Chicago, Ill., where a jump was built over the bleachers. His longest unofficial jumping distance was 180 feet and his longest official jump was 166 feet at a time when skis were very heavy and made of wood.
On Aug. 11, 1940, he married Dorothy Cowin at Chetek. They operated the dairy farm on the Massie family homestead. He loved his farm and living in the house where he was born. During months when he was not crop farming, he was the sawyer on his portable sawmill, sawing the lumber for many barns, sheds and houses in the county.
He was a founding member in 1946 of the Farm Service Co-op, a milk-hauling cooperative formed to sell milk at the Turtle Lake Creamery. A former chairman, he retired from the board in 1965.
He enjoyed picnicking, deer hunting, fishing, bowling, golfing, reading, card playing, rock hounding trips, horseshoeing, playing harmonica, dancing, camping and picking blueberries. He was active on a kittenball team, camping club, card playing club, the Dallas Methodist Church, two square dance clubs and the Barron County Gem and Mineral Society.
He enjoyed day trips with his family while farming and upon retirement, he and his wife traveled to many states. He especially loved their trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming and Florida. Internationally, they enjoyed cruises and visited Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
He won horseshoe events throughout the area and in 1987, placed first in his age group at the World Championship Horseshoe Tournament in Eau Claire. He especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends.
Surviving are daughters, Joan (Dennis) Kieser of Thorp, Jean Massie of Salem, Ore., Zita (Jack) Harrison of Dodgeville and Marilyn (David) Briggs of Dallas; grandchildren, Desilyn (Alan) Tyznik, Mark (Tracy) Kieser, Craig (Kim) Kieser and Bill (Shari) Briggs; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Gomer was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years; his parents; a granddaughter, Wendy Briggs; sisters, Letitia (William Lyon), Hazel Lindblad and Myrtle (Harold Cowin); brothers, John (Mildred), Robert (Theo) and an infant brother, Hugh; and a brother-in-law, Ralph (Doris) Cowin.
Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, from Dallas Lutheran Church, with Rev. Bob Friese officiating and interment at Dallas Cemetery.
Rausch-Lundeen Funeral Home, Dallas, handled arrangements.
He was born July 1, 1911, to Gomer Robert and Alice (Conner) Massie at the family farm in the Town of Sioux Creek, Barron County. After graduating from Sioux Creek Grade School, also known as the Massie School, Gomer graduated from Barron High School. He and his siblings rode the Blueberry Train from Dallas to Barron on Sunday and home again on Friday so they could attend high school during the week while boarding at a house in Barron.
At the age of seven he learned to ski jump on a pair of barrel staves; his first ski jump was made of snow he piled at the base of a hill. He later acquired jumping skis and honed his skills on jumps he built of wood on hills near his home. As a young man he was a member of the Ridgeland Ski Club and actively ski-jumped as a Class A jumper under the name Sonny Massie.
Gomer competed in many ski jump tournaments near Ridgeland, Dallas, Chetek, Cameron, Sioux Creek, Eau Claire, Strum, Whitehall and Washburn as well as in Minnesota at Duluth, the Twin Cities and at the National Tournament in Red Wing.
He jumped as far north as Suicide Mountain in Ishpeming, Mich., and as far south as Soldiers Field in Chicago, Ill., where a jump was built over the bleachers. His longest unofficial jumping distance was 180 feet and his longest official jump was 166 feet at a time when skis were very heavy and made of wood.
On Aug. 11, 1940, he married Dorothy Cowin at Chetek. They operated the dairy farm on the Massie family homestead. He loved his farm and living in the house where he was born. During months when he was not crop farming, he was the sawyer on his portable sawmill, sawing the lumber for many barns, sheds and houses in the county.
He was a founding member in 1946 of the Farm Service Co-op, a milk-hauling cooperative formed to sell milk at the Turtle Lake Creamery. A former chairman, he retired from the board in 1965.
He enjoyed picnicking, deer hunting, fishing, bowling, golfing, reading, card playing, rock hounding trips, horseshoeing, playing harmonica, dancing, camping and picking blueberries. He was active on a kittenball team, camping club, card playing club, the Dallas Methodist Church, two square dance clubs and the Barron County Gem and Mineral Society.
He enjoyed day trips with his family while farming and upon retirement, he and his wife traveled to many states. He especially loved their trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Wyoming and Florida. Internationally, they enjoyed cruises and visited Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
He won horseshoe events throughout the area and in 1987, placed first in his age group at the World Championship Horseshoe Tournament in Eau Claire. He especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends.
Surviving are daughters, Joan (Dennis) Kieser of Thorp, Jean Massie of Salem, Ore., Zita (Jack) Harrison of Dodgeville and Marilyn (David) Briggs of Dallas; grandchildren, Desilyn (Alan) Tyznik, Mark (Tracy) Kieser, Craig (Kim) Kieser and Bill (Shari) Briggs; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Gomer was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years; his parents; a granddaughter, Wendy Briggs; sisters, Letitia (William Lyon), Hazel Lindblad and Myrtle (Harold Cowin); brothers, John (Mildred), Robert (Theo) and an infant brother, Hugh; and a brother-in-law, Ralph (Doris) Cowin.
Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, from Dallas Lutheran Church, with Rev. Bob Friese officiating and interment at Dallas Cemetery.
Rausch-Lundeen Funeral Home, Dallas, handled arrangements.
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