Allen Frank Praefke (75) celebrated life on this earth until heaven received a very bright and funny angel on March 12, 2023. To his family, he was dad. To the rest of the world, he was “Skip,” Skip Praefke and he truly was the most loved man anyone ever knew. That love never changes either, it’s the kind of love that lives forever because Skip honestly enjoyed nothing more than sharing it with others. That’s what made him “Skip,” and it made him feel like the luckiest the man in the world. He said it all the time. You heard it every time he laughed, his oh so recognizable laugh that will always be remembered. That’s what made that character special, so lucky and loved throughout his entire life. Along with Spirit North, it’s also the legacy he leaves behind for his family and everyone else to enjoy.

Skip is survived by his wife (Marie), three sons (Ryan, Scott, Jason), daughter-in-law (Cindy), three grand children (Hudson, Callahan, Hadley) and nephew (Rick Gehr). Skip grew up in Thiensville, WI, married Marie 50 years ago (will be 50 years on July 29th - the day that will be his Life Celebration) in Cedarburg, WI, and taught/served in the Milwaukee area, Fond du Lac, and the Fox Valley during a long and decorated career. After years on the police force, Skip became the kind of law enforcement and SWAT team instructor that students/colleagues never forget - the teacher that one talks about for the rest of their lives as the person that inspired them, changed their lives, and made them the best. After retirement, he and Marie split their time between Spirit North in Land o' Lakes, WI, and Spirit South in Sarasota, FL.

His spirit lives on in all that knew him, whether watching a sunset on the beach or over a lake, or just through memories of his stories and laugh. Forever loved, forever missed, forever the best father a family could ever ask for, also the luckiest three sons and three grandchildren the world could ever imagine. Keep a tight line! See you at the porch, too — your place at Spirit North at the end of a very long driveway.

Skip's Life Story:

Allen (Skip) Frank Praefke II age 75, of “Spirit North” Land o’ Lakes, WI, entered eternal life on Sunday, March 12th at 11:45am CT, after a courageous 4+ year battle with stage 4 colon cancer.

Born to Allen and Mildred Praefke in Port Washington, WI on January 13, 1948. Spent his childhood, teens, and young adult years in Thiensville, WI. Attended Grand Ave and St Cecilias Grade School, graduated from Homestead High School in Mequon, WI in 1966. Enjoyed and participated in baseball, softball, basketball, football, bowling, and golf. Avid fishing and hunting in Land o’ Lakes, WI at the family owned property. Skip still holds the WI state record shooting the oldest known age whitetail deer (tagged 13.5 years) when he was 17 on Thanksgiving morning in 1965.

Attended U.W. Wisconsin – Steven Point majoring in Fish and Wildlife Management, later worked parttime for the village of Thiensville Department of Public Works and a volunteer for the Thiensville Fire Department. Skip volunteered for the military draft shortly after his 21st birthday for the U.S. Army in 1969. He graduated from Basic Training at Fort Campbell, KY and military police advanced training school at Fort Gordon, GA. He was stationed momentarily at Fort Dix, NJ then to Baumholder/Kaiserlugtern, Germany, serving in the military police company. He spent time with military training and NATO “War Games” in Crete and Athens, Greece.

He separated from the Army in January of 1971 with an honorable discharge. He continued to live in Thiensville where he worked for Fleming Materials delivering drywall and part time as a bartender at Thiensville Gardens owned by his close friend, James “Pinky” Luedtke. He also continued his volunteer status on the Thiensville Fire Department. He was hired by the Vilas County Sheriffs Department in 1972. In 1973, he met and married Marie H Rader of Mequon at St Francis Church in Cedarburg, WI. Shortly after being married they Skip and Marie moved to Milwaukee. He enrolled and graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, majoring in Criminal Justine in 1974, and then graduated with his Masters Degree in Administration Leadership.

Also in 1974, he was hired by the City of Brookfield Police Department as a patrol office, while also teaching Recruit and Service Training at Waukesha County Technical College and Moraine Park Technical College at their Beaver Dam campus. Shortly after he moved to Waukesha and Sussex, WI. He then became a member of the first S.W.A.T.tactical response team for the City of Brookfield as a sniper and entry team on point, and soon became the first tactical officer cross trained in SWAT and hostage negotiation.

Skip was recognized as one of three founding members of the first national tactical response association in the country, named A.S.P. Association of SWAT Personnel of Wisconsin in Neenah, WI on January 28, 1982. He was honored to be one of the first presidents of ASP, was presented with the Association Founding and Training Awards in 1985.

Skip became an instruction coordinator of the tactical concept for law enforcement, correctional and nuclear power plant response personnel. ASP became international/global with training conferences attended and presented from across the USA, Canada, and Europe, including the newly created FBI tactical response team from Quantico, VA named HRT (Hostage Rescue Team). Much of the training took place at the EAA grounds in Oshkosh, WI.

Skip and his family moved to Fond du Lac, after he accepted the Training and Degree Program coordinator position at Moraine Park Technical college in 1979, and went on to become president, and received the State Trainer of the Year of L.E.T.O.A (Law Enforcement Trainer Officer Association of Wisconsin) in 1985.

The tragedy and death of Mequon Police Chief, Thomas Buntrock on December 2, 1979 was the main influence and priority of forming ASP. Chief Buntrock was shot and killed accidently by a Mequon office in a gas station robbery, turned pursuit, and ended with a hostage situation in Mequon.

In 1986, Skip left Fond du Lac and moved to Neenah, WI, accepting the Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Training & Degree Program coordinator at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. Two training assignments united to Skip was instruction of 12 convicted 1st degree murderers at Waupon prison in a 2 year state program. The second was a state crowd control trainer in northern Wisconsin for three years 1989-91 for the Native American federal spear fishing treaty.

Skip enjoy teaching at all levels of law enforcement, program coordination, corrections, security in basic recruit school, in-service and specialized training plus the college criminal justice degree program. He love teaching and loved the students! Skip and his wife, Marie, became parents to their three sons – Ryan, Scott and Jason. Skip coached the teams for his sons’ various soccer and basketball teams in Neenah for 10 years, one being his son’s traveling club soccer team. He was an active member of the Winnebago Musky Club

Skip retired from FVTC in 2007, shortly followed by Marie who retired two years later after 30 years as a speech pathologist. They sold the home in Neenah in 2013 and built/moved into a new home on the family property near Land o’ Lake, named with pride as ‘Spirit North.’ Enjoyed three seasons in Land o’ Lakes and winters at their condo in Sarasota, FL

Blessed with three grandchildren – Hudson, Callahan and Hadley.

Interests: playing basketball, softball, horse shoes, pickleball, coaching, watching the Packers/Brewers/Bucks/Badgers, fishing & hunting, nature, twilight delights at our fire pit/deck/porch/balconies, dice games in Skip’s Den, running/walking/physical fitness, mental health and time with family and friends

Survived in death by:

Wife - Marie of Land o’ Lakes/Sarasota

Sons -  Ryan (Sarasota), Scott (New York Cit), Jason (Cedarburg)

Daughter-in-law  - Cindy

Grandchildren - Hudson, Callahan, Hadley

Nephew – Rick Gehr

Many special cousins and close friends 

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