Michael John Diesing

Michael J. “Spike” Diesing, age 63, of Medford, passed away on Saturday, October 21st, after a valiant battle against cancer.  He had been a patient at Hope Hospice and Palliative Care in Medford. 

A memorial mass will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, November 4 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford with Fr. Julian Druffner officiating.  Interment will follow the church service at the Diesing family plot in Holy Rosary Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m., Friday, November 3 at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home in Medford, and from 10 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m., Saturday at the church.

Spike was born September 23, 1960, in Medford to John and Alice (Oberhofer) Diesing.  He attended Holy Rosary grade school and graduated from Medford High School in 1979.

He worked at Maple Island, Inc. in Medford for over 37 years as the Chief Agglomerator.  To his co-workers he was affectionately known as “Mr. Maple Island”.  Mike retired in December 2022 for health reasons.

From an early age, Spike was an avid sports fan and athlete.  During his school years, he was a member of the Medford swim and football teams.  After high school Spike was involved with softball, often playing in four different leagues a season.  He also umpired many male and female baseball and softball games, loving every aspect of the game.

His involvement in sports allowed Spike to meet and get to know people from all around the Medford area.  When first meeting people, he would ask their family or maiden name and sure enough he would be familiar with at least one of their relatives, knowing them from either school, work, or his sports career. 

Spike was an avid fan of the Milwaukee Brewers and attended many home and away games to see them in action.  Often on the out-of-town games, he would stay a few extra days to tour the opponents’ facilities as well as the local area.  He traveled to Cooperstown, NY, to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame on more than one occasion.  Spike was also an annual traveler to the Brewer’s Training Camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, getting a head start on their upcoming season.

After a long wait, Spike became the proud owner of Green Bay Packer season tickets in 2013.  His greatest activity was hosting family and friends to Packer games, even driving them to Green Bay no matter what the weather.  It was never too cold or snowy to be at a Packer game.

He was also a loyal follower of Wisconsin Badger football, baseball, and basketball. 

He is survived by his sister, Nancy Schneider of Hudson; nephew Brent Schneider of Milwaukee; and many cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, family requests that donations be made to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of Medford. 

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