The Memorial Wall

Since the passing of the PACT Act to provide aid to veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits, approximately 66,000 screenings have been done in Wisconsin, according to data from the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. 

Nationally, there have been over 3.4 million veterans screened with 42% reporting at least one exposure.

One of those screenings changed Linda Probst’s life. Her husband, Edward Probst of Neenah, died in March at 75 years old. He had served during the Vietnam War and died of service-related hypertension and Parkinson’s disease, she said. 

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Edward Michael Probst at the age of 75 years old. Mike was born on January 24, 1948 in Appleton, Wisconsin to Edward and Helen (Abendroth) Probst.

Mike graduated from Xavier High School, Class of 1967. In 1968 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served abroad the heavy cruiser SS St. Paul in Vietnam and was honorably discharged after two years of service. When he returned home he went back to Pacon Corporation and after 45 years, retired. Mike met Linda Blohm in January of 1970 on a blind date and they married on November 3, 1973. In December 1974 their first child, Matthew arrived, followed by Sarah, Jessica, and Jordan. Their family was now complete. In July 1975, they moved onto the Schaefer Family Homestead.

In September 2018, Mike had the honor of going on the Old Glory Honor Flight. It was the best time going to Washington DC and the trip held many great memories for him.

Mike attended and graduated from NWTC with a Certificate in HVAC.

Mike was the greatest husband of Linda Probst, proud dad to Matthew (Sandie), Sarah (Heath), Jessica (Scott) and Jordan (Jill). He was proudest Papa to Aubree, Adelin, Berklee, Andrew, Preston, Makenna, Lydia, and Sebastian.

He is further survived by his siblings; Terrie, Mary (Karl), Betty (Ron), Donald (Jan), sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law Julie (John) Donna (Randy), Cindy (Kim), Randy (Karen) and Ryan as well as many nieces, nephews and friends, including Dave (Diane) Brum, John Z and our neighbors Matt and Lisa Krautkramer and our FVMP family who supported us throughout this journey.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Helen, brother Timothy, brothers-in-law Norm and John. Linda’s parents Donald and Shirley Blohm who thought of and loved him as their son. Brothers-in-law Kevin, David, and Daniel as well as his nephew, and godson, Chad and several aunts and uncles. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established for FVMP (Fox Valley Memory Project) who helped both Mike and Linda through the difficult times. You were a Godsend.

All are invited to bring pictures and memories of your friend, Edward “Mike”.

“My Love, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you, we’d be married and together for life. I am saddened that we didn’t make it to 50 years, but we’ll celebrate together someday in heaven.”

After living with the impacts of Parkinson’s for the past two years of his life, Harry died peacefully at home on June 6th. He is survived by his wife Christine Sutcliffe, children Darren and Lisa, stepdaughter Julie, grandson Wyatt, and great-granddaughter Katherine.

“He was the nicest man anybody could wish to meet,” said Christine. “He was a family man and he absolutely loved his job. He was a funny man as well and we had many an evening out with friends where he’d tell many a tale. He always turned everything into a laugh and, going to bed at night, he always had to watch something funny on television so he could go to bed happy.”

Born and bred in Blackpool, Harry was a prolific sportsman as a youngster, gaining a reputation as a stellar amateur footballer alongside his brother David and even attending trials with Aston Villa in the 1950s. In the late 1960s, he started his career as an estate agent, working with Oystons and quickly rising through the ranks.

Eventually, he moved into training, tutoring countless other budding estate agents at Oystons during a 22-year stint in management during which he earned a reputation for kindness and an unflinching willingness to help anyone, regardless of whether they were competitors or not. He also met Christine whilst working at Oystons.

“My boss said ‘this is Mr Sutcliffe’ and I turned around to shake his hand and I just fell in love with him,” said Christine, then a typist in the legal department, of the first time she met Harry. “We moved in together in 1990 and got married in 2011 - Harry took a long time to make decisions!

“We didn’t tell anybody about the wedding either, we just had our two friends as witnesses and swore them to secrecy before going off to Blackpool Registry Office,” added Christine. “We took the children out for a meal and put photographs of us getting married under their plates.”

Harry left Oystons to set up his own estate agency and auctioneering business, Harry Sutcliffe Limited, in 1992 alongside his eventual wife and business partner Christine, going on to sell houses all across the North West, from the Fylde Coast to Chorley. He retired in 2007 after more than four decades in the industry and having valued at least 20,000 properties by his own estimations.

So popular was he that he was named Personality of the Year at the Blackpool Gazette’s Homes Alternative Property Awards 2002 after receiving a unanimity of votes from his fellow estate agents.

“You couldn’t walk down the street without someone stopping and saying ‘hello, Harry’,” said Christine. “It’s wonderful to receive so many kind words from former clients, it’s really keeping me going. He was the best dad and granddad anybody could have.”

Dr. Daniel M. Viccione died peacefully June 17 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Carol, and his three children and their spouses, Darrin and Melissa Viccione, Dr. Todd and Kristen Viccione, and Kerilynn Viccione and Robert Gaglione. In addition, his legacy and spirit survive through his beloved grandchildren: Ariana, Seth, Bryce, Ethan, Morgan, Spencer, Ben, and Cole. His love for his family – his treasures – guided him through all things. He was a source of inspiration, comfort, laughter, and joy for his entire family, including his nieces and nephews, whom he adored. 

A resident of East Greenwich, RI, Dan grew up in Providence, RI, where he was one of seven siblings. He graduated from Classical High School, received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from New York University, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. 

Dan was a decorated war veteran who served in Vietnam. He began his distinguished career in engineering and scientific research upon his return home from the war. Dan commenced his career at Raytheon where he created several scientific patents in the field of underwater acoustics and sonar. For most of his career, however, Dan worked for the Department of Defense where he served as part of the Senior Executive Service in the Pentagon, as well as technical director of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Keyport, WA, and the Naval Surface Warfare Centers (NSWC) in Indian Head, Maryland and Dahlgren, Virginia. His research promoted travel throughout the world including the Ice Camp in the Arctic, a collaborative exploration to measure sonar performance under the ice. Additionally, in his pursuit of scientific advancement, Dan conducted research through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and collaborations with Johns Hopkins University. 

While working for the Department of Defense, he received numerous awards including the Rank of Meritorious Executive by the President of the United States, the prestigious Navy Decibel Award for research in underwater acoustics, and the Martell-Bunshell award for exceptional contributions of scientific achievement in Undersea Warfare Systems.

Dan will be remembered as a scientist, an educator, an innovator, but even more so for his kindness, compassion, and love. His patience was unparalleled; his sense of humor brought light to the darkest moments. He had an endless enthusiasm for life. Dan was a talented pianist, runner, tennis player, watercolor artist, and windsurfer. On windy days he was often seen sailing along the waters of Narragansett Bay. Above all, he constructed the foundation upon which this family safely and proudly rests. His spirit, his laughter, and his love will be missed every day. 

“Fair winds and following seas”

Actress Morgan Fairchild made the sad announcement that her partner of almost 40 years, Mark Seiler, has died.

Fairchild took to her popular Twitter account late Thursday to break the news, writing, "I’m so sorry to let you know that my life partner (36 years together) & fiancé, Mark Seiler, passed away last Friday night [July 7]."

She went on, "He’d had Parkinson’s for several years, but it seems to be Long Covid that took his life after his 3rd infection. Hold your loved ones close."

She adorned the post with a glamorous photo of the couple taken around 1990.

Fairchild had just recently voiced support for comic Richard Lewis, who told fans he was battling Parkinson's in an April post. On June 28, Fairchild commented, “My fiancé also has Parkinson’s, and we are all on this journey together! Sending you love.”

Seiler's condition was so fragile that he was in a nursing home while COVID-19 first raged, leading Fairchild to write at the time, “They’re taking very good care of him there. I’m very grateful that they haven’t had any cases there… I’m just here. I get up every day, I do my housework, I do my chores and I just do my exercises. I go for a walk… I try to eat right… I watch the news.”

Fairchild, 73, is known for her work on the soaps "Search for Tomorrow," "General Hospital," "Flamingo Road," and "Falcon Crest." She has displayed her comedic side on "Murphy Brown," "Roseanne," and "Friends," and is a SAG-AFTRA board member.

Born on an unspecified date in 1950, in the United States of America, Mark Seiler is a 68/69-year-old movie producer, executive, technician, CEO and entrepreneur. He is best known as the producer of the 1997 Danish movie “The Island on Bird Street”, which won a total of nine awards in the year of its release. Mark has also gained some publicity for his relationship with Morgan Fairchild, a renowned actress and activist, but notably, he was the CEO of Capella Films, an important movie production venture during the 1990s.

Mark Seiler may be one of the most influential men in the movie industry, but he’s what people like to call – “the man hiding in the shadows”. He isn’t a movie star nor a high-profile socialite, so he’s able to keep his private life hidden from the media. Production doesn’t involve a lot of fanfare, so he doesn’t have much need to expose himself to the public. Little is known about his early life or family, and it’s also unclear whether Mark got acquainted with the world of cinematography through formal education, or if he’s a self-taught virtuoso. There is no record of him for pretty much the first 35 years of his life.

The first records of Mark’s involvement in the movie industry is his work on the 1985 American drama “Plenty”. Highly rated by both critics and fans, the movie has Meryl Streep playing the role of Susan Traherne, a woman who is struggling to find her way in life, in the tumultuous era of post-World War II England. She fought in the French Resistance, and in the heat of battle, there was a man who caught her eye. They made love and the evening forever stayed engraved in Susan’s mind. The story revolves around a loss of faith in oneself, after living an intense life for more than two decades. Seiler was the executive producer of the movie and working with director Fred Schepisi gave him an excellent starting point on which to build his career. The movie was nominated for two British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards and additionally won two more minor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics; both went to John Gielgud as Best Supporting Actor.

After the success of “Plenty”, Seiler didn’t need to wait much longer for his next work. The same year the movie “Mesmerized” was released, featuring a star-studded cast of Jodie Foster, Michael Murphy and John Lithgow. In a rather shocking manner, the movie has Jodie playing the role of a young woman who has to deal with the strange sexual fetishes of her older husband. She needed a way to get out of an orphanage, so she faked her love towards an aging businessman. When push came to shove, she had to kill him to save herself from the hell she was living in. Much of the movie revolves around her trial and the emotional toxicity surrounding all the characters. Despite the daring nature of the whole script, the movie was slammed by critics and viewers alike, mostly because of a multitude of plot holes and inconsistencies. Nevertheless, Mark was praised for his production, and so added another achievement to his growing resume.

Following the debacle of “Mesmerized”, Seiler seemingly dropped off the grid. It is suspected that he worked as a ghost-producer on several critically acclaimed Hollywood titles; in the movie world, a ghost producer is a person who produces a movie, while the credits go to someone else. Eventually, he resurfaced with a smash hit, the 1997 Danish drama – “The Island on Bird Street”. The story is based on the touching semi-autobiographical novel by Uri Orlev, an Israeli author who witnesses the horrors of war and Nazi crimes firsthand. In the movie, Patrick Bergin assumes the role of Stefan, while Jordan Kiziuk delivered a masterful performance while playing Alex. Unlike his previous two works, Seiler had a more “hands on” approach here, as he was producer, not executive producer.

In 1990, Capella Films was founded by Rolf Deyhle and Will Baer, with the idea of running an independent film production company which would control and occupy all the sites in the production chain of a movie. This would allow everyone involved with the film to co-operate with one another with greater ease, without the usual problems in communication and finances. Baer and Deyhle chose Mark Seiler to be the CEO, overseeing all processes and essentially controlling the entire company. Due to his efforts, Capella Films became a staple in the movie world, producing and financing movies such as Carlito’s Way (1993), The Mask (1994) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). In 1997, the company was acquired by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer for a whopping $1.3 billion.

Mark Seiler is currently in a relationship with the controversial actress Morgan Fairchild. She is 69-years-old and rose to fame through her role in “Mr. Peppermint” on WFAA-TV. Interestingly, she was kidnapped and held for ransom not once, but twice, in the mid-1970s. She is also an AIDS and HIV activist, educating people and raising awareness about this dangerous condition. Morgan and Mark have been together for over 35 years. Even though they are both celebrities, there haven’t been any rumors or controversies surrounding their relationship.

Lew Perkins, former athletic director at the University of Kansas and Wichita State University, died Tuesday morning in Lawrence at the age of 78. Perkins’ passing was the result of side effects from Parkinson’s Disease, a family member told The Star. A former college basketball player who graduated from the University of Iowa in 1967, Perkins was Athletic Director (AD) at Wichita State from 1983-87 and KU’s AD from 2003-10. He also served as AD at UConn (1990-2003,) Maryland (1987-90) and South Carolina-Aiken (1969-80). He was associate AD at Penn from 1980-83.

Perkins was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees in 2005. He served on the NCAA Championships & Competition Cabinet and the NCAA Bowl Certification Committee. Perkins was athletic director at KU in 2008 when the Jayhawks won the NCAA men’s basketball title and the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl victory capped a school-record 12-win season. KU also won the 2008 Insight Bowl — marking the first time in school history that KU played in bowl games in back-to-back seasons.

“Lew was first and foremost an advocate for student-athletes and coaches,” former KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony told The Star. “He expected 100% effort and strove for excellence with every fiber of his being. Those expectations rubbed off on an impressive number of people who worked for him and went on to enjoy very successful careers in college athletics.” Marchiony, who worked with Perkins at UConn and KU, added: “Lew spoke often and fondly about his days at both KU and Wichita State. The fact that they (Perkins and wife Gwen) stayed and lived in Kansas after his tenure at KU speaks volumes about what he thought of the state of Kansas and the Midwest.”

After retiring from his post at KU in September 2010, Perkins and his wife moved to New Orleans for a brief period of time before returning to Lawrence. There were many facility upgrades during Perkins’ KU tenure, including $10 million worth of renovations to Allen Fieldhouse completed in 2005-06. At the time, another $15 million was approved for fieldhouse upgrades. Also, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics was added to the fieldhouse at a cost of $5 million. The Anderson Family Football Complex officially opened on July 30, 2008, adjacent to the football field at Memorial Stadium, at a cost of $31 million.

In 2009, $42 million in improvements for a new basketball practice and training facility, locker rooms, donor atrium, concourses and other upgrades to Allen Fieldhouse were completed. Another $8 million was spent for improvement of KU’s student-athlete housing. Other projects during Perkins’ tenure included new baseball and softball facilities and a boathouse for the rowing team. In 2008, TIME magazine named Perkins one of the top 35 sports executives in the world. He was the only college administrator on the list.

“Lew did a lot of good things in his time here at KU,” KU basketball coach Bill Self said. “He was a big contributor in us changing the mindset of the athletic department and also competing for championships on a more consistent level. Our hearts go out to Gwen and the family. The one thing I will remember most about Lew was he always put the student-athletes first, and the student-athletes that got to know him well all loved him.” Current AD Travis Goff said: ““Lew made an indelible impact on Kansas Athletics and served his role at KU with passion and vigor on a daily basis. We will forever be grateful for his dedication to this university and athletic department. We are thinking of Lew’s amazing family during this time and sending our deepest thoughts and sympathies.”

Perkins’ tenure at KU also included a scandal involving the KU athletic department ticket office. Federal charges were filed by the FBI and IRS against five employees of the athletic department, as well as one consultant. Perkins was not implicated in the scandal but some of the employees charged with crimes were either hired by Perkins or promoted during his years at KU. Of the scandal, he said in May 2010: “We had the wrong people hired for the wrong jobs.” Of being an AD, he told The Star’s Vahe Gregorian: “Being an athletic director, I don’t care where, it’s not easy. People think it’s just fun and games. It’s a hard job.”

Perkins served on the Big 12’s Basketball Issues Committee and was chair of the Big 12 Board of Athletics Directors. He was a member of the Big 12 Television Committee and the Gatorade Board of Directors. After Perkins announced his retirement in September 2010 at age 65, then-KU chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said: “There is no question that Kansas athletics has benefited from Lew Perkins’ leadership. One need only look at the academic success of our student-athletes, at KU’s trophy cases and at our state-of-the-art athletic facilities to see those benefits. I appreciate his service and understand his decision (to retire).” At the time, Perkins said: “I am grateful that Chancellor (Robert) Hemenway allowed Gwen and me to come to Lawrence to be part of the great university. We love this community. We consider it home. This decision will give us a chance to stay involved in the community in different ways. It will also allow me to explore other professional opportunities.”

He was honored in 2000 as the National Athletic Director of the Year, as selected by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). At Perkins’ urging, the Connecticut state legislature funded a $90 million, 40,000-seat stadium for UConn in Hartford, Conn. It opened in August 2003. A native of Chelsea, Mass., Perkins was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame in 1989. He played basketball at Iowa (1965-67) for KU graduate Ralph Miller, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Perkins earned his undergraduate degree at Iowa in 1967. Perkins served as athletic director (1969-80) and head basketball coach (1969-79) at the University of South Carolina Aiken. He received his masters degree in education (1975) from the University of South Carolina. Perkins delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Education degree at USC-Aiken in May 2005.