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May 28, 2002Memorial Day a day for family ties, pride- Wicksall family celebrates its special ties to the military each Memorial DayBy SARAH CHUBYRecord-Eagle staff writer MAYFIELD - The Wicksall family went to Barnum Cemetery in Mayfield Monday to honor and remember veterans. For them, the Barnum Memorial Day service, which took place in front of the monument Tim Wicksall designed and built last year, was a time to pay tribute to two important people in their lives - their parents. "Our parents met in Traverse City and dated (before the war)," said daughter Sally Downer. "They both enlisted and went their separate ways, but kept in contact." During World War II, Bill Wicksall was in the Navy and Zetta (Slater) Wicksall was a nurse in the Army. "Mom had her nurse's training at the State Hospital," Downer said. "She went to Africa and Europe for the duration of the war, and dad went to Japan, Indonesia and the South Pacific." In 1947, after returning to the area, Bill Wicksall and Zetta Slater married. "And they had six kids - three sons and three daughters," Downer said. Zetta Wicksall, after raising their children, went back to nursing and retired from the State Hospital. Bill Wicksall and his brother Jack. Wicksall founded Wicksall Distributing. "It continues to be family-run," Downer said. "Our brother Patrick owns it now." Bill and Zetta Wicksall's involvement with different branches of the armed forces created a friendly rivalry, Downer said. "They always took bets on Army/Navy games," she said while laughing. Downer said it was strange for the family to see both of their parents names of the "Veterans Buried at Barnum Cemetery" memorial. Zetta Wicksall died in September of 1997 and Bill Wicksall died in June of 2001. "Last year it had just our mom's name, and now it has both mom and dad's name," Downer said. "We are very proud of them. They were the best parents in the world." Tim Wicksall said his parents are part of the reason his 24-year-old son Nicholas Wicksall joined the Army. "He is in Germany now," he said. "I really do think they influenced his choice." Tim Wicksall, who is a stonemason, volunteered to build the Barnum Cemetery veteran's monument. "At the time my mom was buried here," he said. "And my dad served in the Navy and my son is in service. I felt like I ought to give back and this is how I could." Even though their parents are no longer physically with them, the family agreed that their principles still are. "They were very patriotic people - not just for their country, but they had high family standards," Downer said. "They valued their country, family, community and spirituality. "Their goal in life was to bestow those ideals in their family. If we can pass on what our parents have given to us, our life goals will be met." |
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