Louis Feak Jr.

Louis “Butch” was born at Belmont Community Hospital in Chicago on Jan. 12, 1956, to Elizabeth Ann (Betty Bain) and Louis Warren Feak (Lorny Feak Sr.).

In 1966, his parents relocated Lou and his three sisters, Connie, Teri and Donna, from Chicago to Channing and finally Sagola.

Lou loved growing up in the Upper Peninsula and had a veritable cornucopia of interests. He was a top-notch student who excelled at sports, Babe Ruth Division One Champion, all-state track, football and basketball. Lou was kind, helpful, social and highly motivated. He participated often in school, church and community activities.

Lou loved the outdoors, exploring and hunting, but his favorite was fishing at his secret spots along the Ford River.

After graduating in 1973 from North Dickinson High School, Lou enlisted in the Air Force. With his plans to become a doctor, he had requested training as an X-ray technician, dreaming of seeing other parts of America while serving his country. In January 1974, he headed to Texas for basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. Anyone who has ever served in the armed forces will happily explain in great detail how “The military has its own plans for you.”

Ironically, the Air Force already had enough X-ray techs, but there was a staff shortage in obstetrics at KI Sawyer Air Force Base, less than an hour from home. Lou gained experience as he worked in OB and the ER, and became an EMT. After reassignment in 1980 to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., as an ER shift leader and NCOIC of nursing education, Lou finished his Independent Duty Medical Technician Training (IDMT) and went to Saudi Arabia to support AWACS operations. Afterward, he was stationed at Murted Air Base near Ankara, Turkey, where he picked up the nickname “Poppa Doc” while providing medical care to children at a nearby orphanage.

In 1985, Lou was assigned to Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbra County, Calif. His many positions included NCOIC of Emergency Services and superintendent of Nursing Services, and he enjoyed temporary classified assignments as Senior IDMT in Egypt.

At Vandenberg, Lou had a habit of getting involved in anything exciting or unusual. His calendar was full, working on air, space, and missile shows, training ROTC, serving as an exercise evaluation coordinator, and as a representative for the START Program. He provided olympic arena support and was the Special Olympics coordinator.

Lou spent his off-duty time building haunted houses and planning squadron activities such as BBQs and fundraisers. Lou loved Vandenberg Air Force Base, and Vandenberg Air Force Base was good to Lou. Lou enjoyed working as chief of the presidential medical support team to the western white house for President Ronald Reagan at Rancho del Cielo, participating in the space launch complex activities in partnership with NASA for Space Shuttle Enterprise on Slick 6, and with the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison prototype.

Master Sgt. Louis W. Feak Jr. received many decorations and ribbons. His awards included the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and he served in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In 1994, after serving 20 years, he passed over a rank promotion opportunity and retired home to Sagola to provide care for his parents.

Adapting to life outside the service was bumpy at first. It took a while for Lou to migrate his military training and experiences to a Michigan RN license; it took even longer for him to find a new workplace that felt right. Lou found his true home at Iron County Community Hospital and stayed on as the name changed to Northstar and then to Aspirus. Over the years that the “Candyman” worked in the hospital or clinics, he was always ready to sweeten someone’s day with a bag of candy. Lou’s work family was just as crucial to Lou, as he was essential to them. They supported him throughout life’s ups and downs; they helped him navigate his journey in Serenity Prayer, helping him through all the 12 steps until Lou could help others climb, too. Starting in the summer of 2014, coworkers donated many weeks of banked sick time to carry Lou through his multiple surgeries and cancer treatments; they were always there for him, and Lou was always there with a bag of candy. Even after he retired from the hospital, Lou would often pop in for a visit, always with candy as an excuse because he missed them. Lou was a social butterfly and often enjoyed a good vent session over life’s trials and tribulations, but one thing he wasn’t always good at was saying how he really felt or how deeply he cared. Lou loved people, and he loved them with all their imperfections and blemishes. The candy was his way of saying, “I love you, and I am so happy you are in my life.”

Lou was not just the Candyman of the hospital; he was the Iron County Candyman. He also had a habit of helping others with his medical skills and advice even when not officially working. In 2011, while he was grabbing snacks at the local gas station, the clerk, a worried mom of two daughters, sought advice on temporarily fixing her youngest daughter’s cracked cast. His off-duty “volunteer” efforts led to a thank-you dinner invite, which became a close friendship, turned into love, and a partnership that only strengthened as Lou began his fight against cancer in 2014.

They might have taken a slow boat to marriage, but it seemed like it traveled a lifetime in 13 years. Life seemed to happen at a breakneck pace; they were polar opposites but equally matched. Their individual strengths and weaknesses mostly balanced the scales, but when they shared the same traits, like being hard-headed and stubborn, how the thunder rolled.

The paperwork to formally adopt Lou was filed years later, but Lou was actually adopted by the Ricker-Baros-Hunter-Rose-Tusa family around 2012. “Can I keep you?” Jen asked, and Lou stayed. Lou stayed for all of it; he was in front of them, behind them, alongside them, and always there. When Lou’s cancer returned a second time, they married on May 18, 2019, with Rainy and Savanna giving the bride away and grandson Hayden as the candy boy. On April 1, 2021, he was legally adopted by Savanna Rose Hunter-Feak, and pictures of her in her cast were printed on the announcements.

This past year was more challenging than most and took a toll as everything went wrong, and there were no more solutions or cures to try. They tried hard to focus on four things: Life is rarely perfect; Fortitude is a virtue; Staying is a choice, and being there for each other during the hard stuff is priceless.

Lou is survived by his wife: Jennifer Ricker-Feak; daughter: Savanna Hunter-Feak; special grandson: Hayden Rose; extra daughter: Rayanon Williams (Jason); sisters: Teresa (Bob) Berg, Donna (Mike) Cline and Constance (Mike) Kuzak; grandchildren: Micah, Miles, Riley, Noah and Flynn; sister-in-law: Cynthia (Josh) Brown; in-laws: Ruth Ricker-Tusa and Miles Tusa; nieces and nephews: Richard (Juliet) Kuzak, Lynnea (Sean) Hosey, Cheryl Kuzak, Stephen (Chastity) Alexa, Angie (John) Mattson, Matthew Cline and Violet Brown; Kim and Andrew Spigarelli; extended family; and friends from Aspirus Hospital, Iron Mountain VA Medical Center and the Iron Baraga Conservation District.

He was preceded in death by his mother: Elizabeth Ann Feak; father: Louis Warren Feak Sr.; father-in-law: Alan Ricker; extra son: Jacob Rose; and many other family members and friends.

Visitation will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, at the United Lutheran Church in Crystal Falls, with Reverend D.J. Rasner officiating memorial services at 11 a.m.

A luncheon will follow.

The family has trusted Nash Funeral Home and Cremation Services with his final wishes.