Obit: Drinka, Michael J. #2 (1952 - 2001)

Contact: Linda Mertens
Email: mertens@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 


Surnames: Drinka, Pace, Murphy, Pearson, Joosten, Thieme, Anderson, Jablonsky, Timm, Nelson, Koltus, Rolfs, Welniak


----Source – Helen Johnson’s Scrapbook


Michael John Drinka (16 Mar 1952 - 16 Oct 2001)

Michael John Drinka, 49, of W5319 Middle Road in Neillsville, died at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2001, at the House of the Dove in Marshfield.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Father Woodrow Pace officiating. Burial will be in Columbia Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Buchanan Funeral Home in Neillsville.

Michael was born March 16, 1952, at Medford to John and Norma (nee Murphy) Drinka. He married Kathy Pearson in 1972 and they were later divorced. He married Barbara Joosten on Aug. 7, 1999.

He was educated in Abbotsford schools and trained in the Job Corps for auto body work. He was employed by Autotest in Neillsville for two years and for 28 years at Nelson Filter. He took a medical leave in August 2001.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Mike was a great help to his friends, was an avid motorcyclist, loved dogs and cats and the outdoors.

Mike is survived by his wife, Barbara Drinka, two sons, Brian (Melissa) Drinka and Shawn (Lisa Thieme) Drinka, all of Neillsville; his daughter, Jill (Steven) Anderson of Owen; four stepchildren, Roger Jablonsky Jr., Roy Jablonsky, Paige Jablonsky and Kristen Jablonsky, all of Neillsville; and four grandchildren, Stephanie, Dominic and Tim Anderson and Dakota Timm.
He is further survived by his brothers and sisters: Susan Nelson of Chili; Margaret Peggy Koltus of Thorp; Mildred (Randy) Rolfs of Taylorsville, N.C.; Sandy (Mark) Welniak and Katherine Drinka, both of Marshfield; Gerald (Belinda) Drinka of Albuquerque, N.M.; James (Julie) Drinka of Neillsville; Donald (Lori) Drinka of Colby, and Richard (Kathleen) Drinka of Marshfield; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother, Robert, in 1990.