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With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Mike Himes, who made his journey to heaven on his 59 ½ birthday, December 19th. This was a very special day for him as he was planning to retire following a 19-year career at West Bend Insurance Company as a Loss Control Consultant. He was surrounded by Sue, Ryan, Sammi, Josh and Katrina, who showered him with so much love and compassionate care while he battled Glioblastoma for 18 months at his dream home on Squaw Lake.
Mike was born in Marshfield, WI June 19, 1966, to Eugene and Lois Himes. He grew up in Owen-Withee on a dairy farm and graduated in 1984 from Owen-Withee High School. His post-secondary education included a BS in Agriculture from UW-River Falls in 1988 and an MS in Risk Control from UW Stout in 1997.
Mike met his sweetheart, Sue Basel, at Checkers in River Falls on homecoming weekend and they were married on June 17, 1989. In 1994 they welcomed their firstborn Ryan, followed by Josh in 1998.
Mike loved coaching his boys in baseball and spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, collecting maple syrup, snowmobiling, planting food plots, and camping in his mini-Winnie. He enjoyed morning coffee on the porch, drives in his Ranger, and training his German Wire Hair Pointers; Millie and Scooter. He especially cherished salmon fishing on Lake Michigan and deer hunting in Glenwood.
During Mikes cancer journey, he truly lived life to the fullest. Over the course of 18 months, he spent considerable time with Ryan and Josh, his best friends, while he fought a hard battle. Just days after completing his first round of radiation, he was already in Wyoming on an elk hunt. Four months later, he traveled to Florida for a family vacation that included deep sea fishing. Three months after that, following a second round of radiation, he and his boys headed to South Africa for a dream hunting trip. Fittingly, just two months before he passed, he got his biggest buck, an 11 point taken on the land he and Ryan had poured so much time into together. Mike’s boys were the center of his universe, and he cherished every minute he spent with them.
Mike is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Sue; his sons Ryan (Samantha) Himes, Josh Himes and Josh’s Fiancé, Katrina Harvey; parents Eugene and Lois Himes; sister Mary (Dale) Neimi. He is also survived by his mother in-law Karen Basel, brother in-law Brian (Sara) Basel, Sister in-law Lisa (Gene) Campbell. Mike had two nieces and two nephews along with many friends.
Mike was preceded in death by his grandparents Doris Black, Arthur Himes, and Elizabeth Himes, and by his father in-law Glenn Basel.
A visitation for Mike will be held from 9am – 11am on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at Bakken-Young Funeral Home (728 S Knowles Ave) in New Richmond, Wisconsin with a service following at 11am. A celebration of life luncheon will be held at River Bend (formerly Rivers Edge, 1820 Raleigh Rd, Somerset WI) at noon.
We would like to thank you all for your support, kind words, encouragement, food and goodies that have been provided to us over the last 18 months. Mike was especially grateful for anyone that took time out of their day to come visit with him. He truly felt so blessed to have such incredible people in his life. And a very special thank you to Dan Wilson who has been a good friend for many years and has been by his side since day 1 of this journey. And to Becky with Lakeview Hospice for her compassion given to Mike.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made in memory of Mike Himes to Mayo Clinic for Palliative Care at Rochester or Neuro-oncology department. Donations can be made by phone, online or by mail:
- Mail: Please indicate when sending the gift that it is to be designated in support of Palliative Care at Rochester or Neuro-oncology department. Checks can be made directly to Mayo Clinic and sent to: Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905
- Online: Please visit https://give.mayoclinic.org/campaign/740556/donate and complete the online form. Under “Designate my gift to…”, please select the appropriate fund from the provided list or select “Other” and manually enter the correct designation. Under “Tribute Information” please indicate the gift is in memory of Mike Himes.
Arrangements are with Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services.
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