Roy Clarence Pickhard lived 25,200 days, 20 hours, 38 minutes (Born: 6/30/1952 Passed: 6/29/2021).  He passed away surrounded by his family at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, WI.  He diligently fought a battle against Valley Fever pneumonia.  Roy was the first of 6 children, Russ (Debbie) Pickhard, Al (Tammy) Pickhard, Carol (Danny) Monte, Lois (Roger) Garbisch and Clarice (Tom) Lee born to Clarence and Edriss (Friedmann) Pickhard.  He learned about God, life, hard work, and baseball as a farm kid in Richfield, WI.  He worked hard in school and graduated from Slinger High School in 1970.

Roy then met the love of his life, Jennifer Held after playing in a softball game with his best friend Rick Kohl.  The two of them were united in marriage May 8 ^th , 1976 and just recently celebrated 45 years of loving marriage. His family grew to include Jenny's parents Harold and Judy (Dautermann) Held and siblings, Sue (Rick) Kohl, Elaine (Gary) Leigh, and Gwyn (Phyllis) Held.  They had 3 children, Nathan (Jenny) Pickhard, Nick (Erin) Pickhard and Trisha (Nathan) Springstead and poured all their love into raising them.  He was blessed with 8 grandchildren (Dakota, Luke, Natalie, Isaiah, Sydney, Raegan, Tristan, and Elle) for whom he would do anything for.  Roy endlessly loved his wife, children and grandchildren.  He had an incredible ability to be committed to his church, his work, and his family.  We're not quite sure how he found the time and energy, but anyone who crossed his path knew of this superpower.  From coaching, to hockey games, to car shows, to soccer games, to gymnastics, to track, to projects, to biking and hiking, all the way to painting fingernails, he lit up when watching his family grow and learn, making any connections he could with them along the way.

Needing somewhere to direct his natural born talents of leadership, Roy started his lifelong career in the manufacturing/foundry industry at Kraft Well before moving his family to Prairie du Sac., WI.  There he began a 32-year career at Milwaukee Valve. He served in countless leadership rolls in Kiwanis, his church, the foundry society, school boards (Slinger and Sauk Prairie) and so many more.  Serving others was something he was clearly passionate about.  He would always see the positive of every situation and every person he encountered.  When he retired (2018) he was interviewed for the Non-Ferrous Founders' Society and was asked how he'd want to be remembered.  His answer is as follows:

"I would want to be remembered as being someone who is truthful, trustworthy, loyal, and willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done."

Well, Roy/husband/dad/grandpa/son/brother, that is how we all remember you today.

He and Jenny loved to travel and did so often.  After retirement, they continued that love for travel and jumped headfirst into service to others by joining up with the Builders for Christ (BFC) and Christian Aid and Relief.  Through these organizations, they met so many new friends and helped countless churches and communities both recover after disasters as well as grow.  Their faith and marriage continued to thrive as they grew closer to each other through God.

We will never be the same without him, but we're forever grateful for the time we spent with him and the memories we've made. We gain peace knowing Roy believed the truth that we have a Savior who came to this earth, lived a perfect life, died for all our sins, and rose again.

We want to thank the medical team at St. Mary's hospital that cared for Roy during his time in the hospital.  Their care and love for him and our family was a blessing to all of us.

Roy was preceded in death by his father, Clarence Pickhard, and his father-in-law, Harold Held.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to any of these programs for which Roy cared deeply:

• Builders for Christ (Kingdom Workers) ( https://kingdomworkers.com/donate/ )
• Christian Aid and Relief ( https://community.wels.net/page.aspx?pid=394 )
• Culver's Community Park ( https://www.spparksandrec.org/donate.html )

A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, July 7 ^th , 2021 at 11:00 am at St. John's Lutheran Church, 624 East St., Baraboo, 53913.  A visitation will be held the evening before on Tuesday, July 6 ^th , 2021 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at St. John's Lutheran Church, 624 East St., Baraboo.  Burial will be held in the Prairie du Sac Cemetery.

Online condolences may be made at hooversonfuneralhomes.com