Corey J. Wilcox
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Corey J. Wilcox, 45, died at his home in Richfield, WI on August 16, 2022, after a four-month long battle against a rare and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Born on October 26, 1976 he is survived by his wife, Rachel Monaco, his parents Keith and Wendy (Oleson) Wilcox, siblings Jeremy, Casey and Jennifer Wilcox and her husband, Thomas Austin, Sr., nephews Dylan and Devan Tessmer, dogs Ada and her pup Connor, Rachel's parents Joseph and Patricia Monaco, close friends James and Marcia Hock, and grandmothers Clarine Wilcox Hollowell and Pauline Majchrzak. Preceded in death by his grandparents Roy and Geraldine Oleson, his grandfather Kenneth Wilcox, and dogs Wyatt and Grady.
Corey met his best friend and true companion Rachel, in the 7th grade. They married on September 25, 2004 and in that same year they started their family, buying their first Vizsla hunting dog, Wyatt, followed 2 years later by brother, Grady. Corey and Rachel went on to start a breeding program, Wyldfire Vizslas. In the last year of his life, Corey served as Vice President of the Central Wisconsin Vizsla Club.
Corey attended grade school in Wausau, WI and Soldotna, Alaska, and high school at Wausau West where he excelled in sports, academics and leadership. He attended Ripon College on an athletic scholarship for a year before graduating from UW LaCrosse with a degree in Pre-med/Pre-Vet Studies.
His professional life included jobs with the Marathon County Health Department, the US Department of Agriculture, CH2M Hill and lastly Arcadis. Corey served as head coach of the Germantown Hornets Youth Wrestling program from November 2021 until his death.
Corey's life was committed to raising up others and finding something interesting in almost everything. While his chance to live out his vision for wild adventures and for populating the world with heirloom fruit and amazing red dogs has been cut short, Corey was able to plant the seeds in others to continue his dreams. For more information about his extraordinary life, please visit (funeral home site) and his CaringBridge https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coreywilcox
A Barn Party gathering for friends and family in remembrance of Corey will be held at Tansy Hill, Wausau, September 25, and a memorial gathering and tree planting at Pike Lake State Park on October 15. For details, contact [email protected]. Memorial donations may be directed to the Central Wisconsin Vizsla Club, attention Teresa Rizzo, 2315 Back Road, Burlington, WI 53105.