Published: Feb. 20, 2018
Remembering a community icon
Bob Pick II, a familiar face to many in Washington County,
passes away at age 76
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
As a freshman on Kewaskum’s varsity baseball team, Bille
Lehman didn’t know who Bob Pick II was. But he got an interesting introduction.
Pick got on a school bus, carrying his scorebook and folding
chair because he kept the scorebook for the Indians’ baseball team. Once on the
bus, Pick did his usual thing: tell a joke to lighten the mood or ease the
nerves the players might’ve had for the upcoming game.
The jokes were ... well ... dirty.
In a bit of disbelief, Lehman said, “I guess this is our
stat guy.”
However, it was just what the team needed. They laughed and
relaxed.
“Bob’s jokes in reality weren’t that funny,” said Craig
Larsen, board member for the West Bend Baseball Association. “It was how he
delivered them and how he pulled them out of thin air. That’s what made them
funny.
“Bob had the ability to come through with anything. He’d
crack a joke like you wouldn’t believe. You couldn’t help but laugh, and smile,
no matter how lame the joke was.”
That was just one aspect of Pick’s personality, described by
Jason Piittmann, Kewaskum High School athletic director, as quirky.
But, Piittmann also said Pick had a “heart of gold.”
On Friday evening, Pick passed away at age 76, leaving a
huge hole in the heart of all who had the opportunity to meet and know him.
Pick, who also served in the Navy, was a regular sight at
high school events — sports and nonsports
— not just in West Bend or Kewaskum, but throughout
Washington County.
It wasn’t unusual for him to go to more than one event in a
single day. He also offered to help whenever he could, such as keeping the
scorebook for baseball games or helping at crosscountry meets, no matter the
level.
And this was all done without any family connections to the
athletes.
He carried on a legacy of giving and support to Washington
County communities started by family members before him. The Pick Award, named
after Bob’s grandfather, Carl Pick, has been given to East and West high school
boys student- athletes for more than 80 years to honor their achievements on
and off the playing field or court.
A similar award is also presented to student-athletes at the
University of Wisconsin- Washington County in West Bend. The Pick name also
graces the football stadium at West Bend high schools.
“He loved high school sports and their importance to a
community and the individuals,” Larsen said.
Doug Gonring, a winner of the Pick Award and Kewaskum High
School’s baseball coach, said it was an honor to win the award, which is
commemorated with a watch.
“He was so proud of his family and where he came from,”
Gonring said. “I think he took great pride in letting everybody know what his
family did. I
don’t think he had to do it. He was extremely proud of his
whole family.”
Within minutes of Pick’s passing, support poured in from
phone calls, text messages and social media posts.
“Everybody has a good story about Bob,” Larsen said.
Two years ago in Florida, on a whim, Larsen decided to go
watch a University of Florida and Jacksonville University baseball game. Guess
who was there?
“I saw Bob Pick of all people,” Larsen said. “I got the
biggest hug I ever got in my life.”
The common thread from people who have shared memories of
Pick since his passing was he was everywhere.
“You always saw Bob regularly and not just during certain
seasons,” Piittmann said. “He was a special guy. He had a love for everything
around high school athletics, county schools especially. He was always at
something.”
When Lehman graduated from high school, Pick attended his
graduation party.
“It just shows that he cares,” Lehman said. “He treated
those players like his sons. I’m certain I’m not the only graduation party he
went to. He cared about the community and the team he worked for.
He embraced being a part of it. He brought a positive light
to everyone who knew him.”
While he was known as someone who was always around, he also
had an uncanny ability to remember the smallest details.
“He remembered players, stats from guys who played in the
late 1980s,” Larsen said. “The guy could rattle off stats from a single game.
It was crazy. I remember talking to him about a West football game from 1996.
“Bob remembered everything, small things about you. You had
to feel appreciated; like you mattered. He truly cared about you. That’s
special.”
But there is one other thing Pick will be remembered for,
especially those associated with baseball in southeastern Wisconsin at all
levels.
“It was the prettiest scorebook I’ve ever seen,” Larsen
said. “His penmanship; attention to detail, he was the master of being able to
tell a story through a game sheet.”
Pick was the scorekeeper for Gonring’s teams spreading more
than 20 years of baseball.
“It was incredible friendship,” Gonring said. “And he loved
the kids. It made him feel like he was on a team.
“He will be missed.”
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