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Prior to taking up residency at Nu-Roc Community Healthcare, John and Alice Volk, residents of the month, were long-time residents of the Town of Freedom, where they lived on the family farm and raised their six children: John, Jr., Gene, Jim, Jan, Faye and Donna.

Alice was born Alice Sickler in Ringle in 1920, where she was raised on a farm with her brother, two sisters and niece. She attended Ringle Elementary School and graduated from Wausau High School in 1937. She then completed her teacher training at Wausau Normal School in 1939 and accepted her first teaching position at Rummel School, a one-room school in the Town of Freedom.

John was born on the family farm in the Town of Freedom in 1915. He was raised there with his sister Helen. He attended school in Wabeno and graduated from Wabeno High School in 1933. He worked on his dad’s potato farm and drove a truck, delivering potatoes around the state. During the early Depression years, John and a friend traveled to Detroit to find work. He returned to Wabeno after his dad’s untimely death, where he worked the farm until he retired in the early 80s, turning the farm over to his son Jim to run.

It was during the time that John was farming and Alice was teaching that they met through a friend who introduced them at the Freedom Cheese Factory. They were married in 1940. Their son, John, Jr. (Butch), was born shortly after, and they packed him in a car and traveled to California, where John worked in an aircraft plant during the war. Their second son, Gene, was born in California. They returned to Wisconsin in 1943 to run the family dairy farm. While John farmed, Alice raised her children and for a number of years walked several miles to teach at Windfall school, another one-room school in the Town of Freedom. When the one-room schools were closed, Alice taught for several years at Washington School in Wabeno.

Alice says that her greatest joys came from working in her beautiful, lush flower gardens and prolific vegetable garden, sewing (especially clothing for her daughters), and most of all, raising her six children. She was also an avid reader, especially enjoying historical fiction but reading whatever anyone put in front of her, sometimes two or three times. She absorbed all the information she possibly could and still has an amazing memory of all the people she has met and the things she has learned and done. Her children and grandchildren always wanted her on their side when they played “Trivial Pursuit”.

John was not only a highly respected, hardworking and successful dairy farmer, but he also served on the Freedom Town Board and Forest County Board in the late 40s and on the Wabeno School Board from 1952-1975. John’s outside passion was flying. He owned a small airplane, which he housed at the Crandon airport. Many a Sunday afternoon, John would get away from the farm to pursue his flying passion. He also become an instructor, and there are many men in the area who were taught to fly by John Volk. John was a member of the International Aerobatics Club and the Experimental Aircraft Association. He enjoyed many trips to the Oshkosh EAA with friends and often went to the Fly-In in Fond du Lac to watch his son-in-law in aerobatics competitions.

One of John’s dreams was to serve in public office. He had that opportunity after he retired from farming. On somewhat of a whim, he decided to pursue a seat on the Wisconsin State Assembly in a special election in June of 1983. Much to his surprise, he won. He served the 36th Assembly District faithfully and with great integrity for seven years.

During their later years, John and Alice enjoyed getting in the car, often with their son Gene, and traveling around the country - especially the Southwest and West. John and Alice Volk’s six children, nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren are their pride and joy.

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