Barry J. Mickelson

Barry James Mickelson, age 82, died on July 30, 2026, at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. He was born in Covington, Kentucky to James and Eileen (Nystrom) Mickelson on December 3, 1943.

Growing up in the Cumberland, Wisconsin area, Barry attended McKinley Grade School and graduated from Cumberland High School in 1962, where he played football and baseball. He served his country honorably in the US Air Force from 1963-67, while stationed at various bases in Texas, Massachusetts, Okinawa, and mainland Vietnam. His technical training as a USAF aircraft maintenance specialist served as a springboard to his civilian career in aviation.

As a civilian, he attended Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, completing requirements to become a licensed Federal Aviation Administration mechanic and later acquiring the FAA Inspector License.  Barry’s career path led from employment at Gibson Aviation in Eau Claire, WI, to being self-employed at Bairline Aviation in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, and culminated as a crew chief for Northwest Airlines.  After retiring from Northwest in 2005, he enjoyed working on the grounds crew at Spooner Golf Club and continued doing aircraft inspections and restoration. He also served as a supervisor for the Township of Spooner.

Barry wed Jill Peterson on June 7, 1969. They were married for 57 years and had the good fortune to adopt two remarkable and beautiful children, Brooke and Andy. He built a delightful home for his family on forty acres near Spooner and willingly put his mechanical skills to good use assisting others with building or repair projects. Autumn found him splitting and stacking firewood and come spring time, he enjoyed gathering sap and making maple syrup, quite often in the company of his neighbor and young friend, Tristan Nelson.

Many youngsters benefitted from his tutelage as a hockey coach, Destination Imagination mentor, and as a supervisor of the Spooner High School airplane building project.  When he wasn’t busy with an endless procession of “projects”, he cherished time spent with family and friends. He greeted all comers with an endearing smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Many of his favorite and memorable yarns were spun around various hunting and fishing expeditions with his son, Andy. Even as he aged, Barry never lost the ebullience of youth and a passionate longing for outdoor pursuits.

Barry is preceded in death by his son, Andy, and his parents Jim and Eileen. 

He is survived by his wife Jill, currently residing in Hudson, Wisconsin, and daughter Brooke Mickelson (Steve Temple) of Bloomingdale, Illinois.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 27 from 3:30-7:00 pm (with a service at 6:30 pm) at Bratley-Nelson Funeral Home, 306 Rusk Street, Spooner, Wisconsin.  A private interment with Military Honors will be held at Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, N4063 Veterans Way, Spooner, Wisconsin.

In lieu of flowers, Barry’s family would greatly appreciate if you would consider directing memorials to them for a donation to the Spooner High School Industrial Arts Department in his name. 

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