Alois “Al” Okray, 70, Stevens Point, died Saturday, Oct. 2, 1999, at Northhaven Residential Facility. He was under the care of Hospice of Portage County.
Funeral services will be at noon Wednesday at St. Peter Catholic Church. Burial will be at a later date in Guardian Angel Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Pisarski/Dzikoski Funeral Home. The Stevens Point Elks Club will hold a ritual at 7:15 p.m. The Knights of Columbus and Catholic Order of Foresters will combine with the general rosary at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name would be appreciated.
Mr. Okray was born Aug. 20, 1929, in Stevens Point, a son of the late Alois and Frances (Raflik) Okray.
He served four years in the U.S. Army Air Force and was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant.
He was married to Gerri Koss on May 3, 1952, at St. Peter Church.
Starting as a teen-ager, Mr. Okray worked at Okray Produce Co., now Okray Family Farms, and began working full-time in 1951. He worked in the warehouse and in the office buying and selling potatoes.
After the death of his brother, John, he took over management of the farm operations. His current position was vice president.
He was a past director of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association. He also served on committees dealing with ground water concerns.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Stevens Point Chamber of Commerce and was a member and past officer of the Stevens Point Elks Lodge. He was past president of the St. Peter Parish Council. He was a member the Knights of Columbus Council 1170, American Legion Post 6, and Catholic Order of Foresters St. John’s Court 1807.
At the time of his death, Mr. Okray had been actively involved in the Thoroughbred Horse Racing Business for more than 15 years.
He was also on the board of directors of Golden County Foods; secretary of Okray Enterprises, a real estate subsidiary; president of Plover Farms, a subsidiary of Okray Family Farms that owns farmland; and was also a partner in Indian Hills Cranberries LLC.
Survivors include his wife; one son, James (Heidi), Stevens Point; two daughters, Tracy (Charles) Thrun, Almond, and Vicki (Alan) Peskie, Junction City; one brother, Chester (Ramona), Stevens Point; five sisters, Bernice Kitowski, Stevens Point; Violet Jurgella; Stevens Point, Christine (Edmund) Witkowski, Milwaukee, Rita (John) New, Buffalo Grove, Ill., and Constance Barnard, Bellingham, Wash.; and four grandchildren.
