Rick…

Here’s my story…

I was born in 1964 and raised in Milwaukee. Dad was a bus driver for Milwaukee County and mom was a homemaker. Had a normal childhood and was always interested in how things worked, I’d take apart anything I could and attempting to put it back together. I was about 50% at putting things back together and them working again. I built model cars, played baseball, basketball, Ice hockey at the local pond. Went roller skating at the local roller rink “Wisconsin Skate University” & “Skate Land” in the Milwaukee area. After high school not knowing where I was going, I attempted my hand at restaurant management with Pizza Hut, Suburpia and Neds Pizza.

After 6 years I applied and was hired at a local dealership in Waukesha “Wilde Cadillac” as a used car mechanic. Over the next 10 years worked my way onto the line as a mechanic and achieving ASE Master, Cadillac Master Craftsman mechanic top level.

I have 2 wonderful boys now in their 20’s Tyler and Trevor. The best 2 things that ever happened to me.

At that time I tried my hand at driving a stock car at Hales Corners Speedway dirt track in Franklin Wisconsin. Racing had its good days, and it’s bad days. 15 years, 3 cars later and a lot of money gone, I achieved 11th in the points in the sportsman division. I made a family for life, learned how to weld, fabricate, engineer, and race on dirt. I wouldn’t trade any of that for nothing.

When a close friend asked if I ‘d be interested in being a robotic technician with a local integrater in 1998, I jumped at the chance thinking if it didn’t work out, I could always go back to the mechanic field. Over the next 25 years, I learn everything there was to know about robotic integration and they started calling me an engineer. With PLC, HMI and 8 different robots under my belt. With no degree and all my experience, in 2021 I applied to Harley Davidson of Tomahawk and was hired as a Manufacturing IMold Engineer. It was my dream to live in the northwoods, snowmobiling in the winter, ATVing and pontooning in the summer, how could it be much better than living where I was at peace with life.

Well, I met the love of my life in 2019, purchase our dream lake home in Conover Wisconsin in 2023 and living a vacation everyday. We live just north of Eagle River, Wi. the snow capital of the world. Snowmobile and ice fish in the winter. Pontoon & UTV in the summer. Hunt in the fall both bow and gun deer hunt. She and I are two peas in a pod as they say. I Thank God for her everyday.

John Dee was someone I’d followed for the last 25 years, watch him live out his dream in the UP of Michigan as a meteorologist, watch him get married to Nora, adopt a beautiful daughter Grace. Watched and read his journals religiously, watched him and his family grow and how proud he was of the life he made. Only to be cut short by health issues, my heart goes out to the Dee family.

I’m not trying to be John, but I loved following everything he did. I never got to meet my mentor (though he never knew it) I was paying attention. I only hope living out my dream in the northwoods of Wisconsin, I can make a fraction of the inpact he did.

#rickweatherman

“northwoods eye in the sky”