Richard Joseph Mikyska

Richard "Dick" Joseph Mikyska passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at The Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Sauk Rapids, MN at the age of 90.  

Dick was born on March 24, 1931 to Anne Mikyska in Beroun MN.  The first four years of grade school were in Minneapolis.  At the age of 10, he moved to Beroun and lived with his grandpa.  He finished grade school in Beroun and graduated from Pine City High School in 1949.  

After high school, Dick had several different jobs.  In 1962, he met the love of his life, Barbara (Miller) Skalicky at a New Year’s Eve dance at the Beroun Pavilion.  They were married on June 8, 1963.  They lived in Pine City where Dick was employed at the Land O’ Lakes Drying Plant.  In August 1963, Dick bought the Land O’ Lakes milk delivery from Bud Wandell.  He delivered milk and other dairy products in and around Pine City and Beroun for 31 years.

In 1971, they sold their house in Pine City and built a new house and moved to Beroun.  He had a tavern in the basement of his house (Beroun Saloon) where he enjoyed Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings with relatives and friends for 13 years.  He was an excellent pool player and enjoyed shooting pool with his customers at the bar.  He continued delivering milk.  He was also hired to do lawn care at the church and cemetery in Beroun and dug a few graves by hand.  

Dick enjoyed deer hunting both rifle and bow and playing cards.  He loved to fish both open water and ice fishing.  He continued shooting pool after the tavern closed since the pool table stayed with the house and enjoyed challenging his daughters and wife to a game of pool on the weekends.  He also liked riding his bike after supper with his wife around the town of Beroun and was able to visit Mackinac Island once with his wife and another time with his family and rode bike around the lake.   

Dick retired in 1994 and sold the milk route and continued the lawn care for several more years.  After retirement, Dick and Barb went on short vacations in April and October visiting family.  They went to Arizona to visit Dick’s Mom, Montana to visit daughter Jerri and family, and daughter Joy wherever she was stationed with the Air Force.

They sold their house in Beroun in October 2017 and moved to an apartment in Sartell, MN.  Dick entered the nursing home in January of 2019.

Dick is survived by his wife Barbara of 58 years of Sartell; three daughters Jerri (Paul) Dostal of Geraldine, MT, Joy Mikyska of St. Cloud, and Peg Skalicky (Ron Sivigny), Beroun; six grandchildren Megan Smith of Seldovia, AK, Grant (Madeline McKeever) Smith of Golden, CO, Gerald Smith of Salt Lake City, UT, Stephanie (Alex Berger) Skalicky of Beroun, Jeremy (Jaclyn) Skalicky of Beroun, Joshua Skalicky of Forest Lake; four great-granddaughter’s, Kaylee and Cecilia Kvasnikoff of Seldovia AK, Lillian Berger of Beroun, Scarlett Skalicky of Beroun; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Doug and Joanne Miller of St. Cloud, and Daniel & Arlette Miller of Beroun; and many other relatives and friends.

Dick was preceded in death by his grandpa, Vincent Mikyska; mother and step-father Anne and Leonard Kub; father-in-law and mother-in-law Dick and Esther Miller; son-in-law Russell Smith; brother-in-law Daryl Miller; sister-in-law, Beverly Livingston; and aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Dick: 11 AM; Friday, January 21, 2022 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Beroun.  A time for family and friends to gather is planned from 4-6 PM Thursday (1/20/22) at the Swanson Funeral Chapel in Pine City and also one hour prior to the Mass at the church.  The interment will take place in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Beroun.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to: Funeral and Cremation Service of Pine City-Swanson Chapel.
www.FuneralAndCremationService.com