Badger Midget Driver, Owner, Official Dahlke dies at 61
|
|
By Bryan Gapinski, Ripon, Wis., Feb. 19---Former Badger Midget Series driver, car owner and officer William “Butch” C. Dahlke, age 61, passed away on Tuesday, at The Ripon Medical Center after a short battle with cancer.
Dahlke first competed in the series as a driver in 1980 and continued full-time for around a dozen years before fielding entries as a car owner until the conclusion of the 2006 season. Dahlke scored his only midget feature victory as a driver at Davenport, Iowa. During his time as car owner he scored feature victories with Kevin Koch and Aaron Fiscus. Other drivers who drove for Dahlke include: Brad Kuhn, Brad Weber, Kevin Thomas, BJ Dahlke, Doug Schenck, Nick Lundgreen, Dick Kaiser, Brian Claas, Mark Zabel, Rich Giertz, and Joe Wipperfurth to name a few.
Dahlke was elected president of the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association in fall of 1990, and ended serving thirteen one-year terms in the capacity over the next fifteen years, the most in the organizations 72-year history.
Dahlke was born on October 1, 1946, in Ripon, the son of William J. and Winnifred J. (Johnson) Dahlke. He attended Ripon High School, and in July of 1967, married Linda L. Nitz in Berlin. Butch was a master mechanic who owned and operated both Butch’s Enterprises LLC., and Butch’s Engines and Frames. He was a member of Masters Motorcycle Club.
Survivors include his wife, Linda; son, BJ (special friend Melissa Atkinson); daughter, Vicky Trimble; grandchildren, Katie Koseck and Madelyne Atkinson; and his sister, Barbara. Butch was preceded in death by his parents.
Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Butzin-Marchant Funeral Home in Ripon, followed by a Memorial service at 1:00 p.m. Internment will take place at a later date. A memorial has been established.
Butzin-Marchant Funeral Home
Oshkosh & Mayparty Dr Box 371
Ripon, WI 54971
Click Here for the Funeral Home web site. Click Here to read Butch's Obituary.