News & Articles

Micki Szymczak
July 6, 1950 - August 25, 2026
It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden death of Micki Szymczak, who died from a brain aneurysm.

Micki was born in Vallejo, Cal., the third of 10 children born to Lawrence and Dorothy Wittkop. She graduated from Central High School in 1968 and later from Lake Superior College.
Micki married Bob Szymczak at Sacred Heart Church on Nov. 13, 1971. She often reminisced with fondness about riding in Bob’s MG on summer evenings. The two of them would go on to have three girls.

Micki worked for St. Louis County for a decade before quitting to raise her children. Later she would go on to clean homes with her daughters and her sister Anita. It may have been work, but when they all got together you could barely hear the scrubbing or mopping over the sound of them laughing. Micki had a dark sense of humor and a razor-sharp wit. She was incredibly funny and could somehow make you laugh in even the bleakest of moments.

Micki enjoyed collecting blue glass, little crystals and mouse ornaments. She also loved the holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. Every year she and Bob put up a gorgeous, festive display that lit up the neighborhood. When her grandsons came along, her collections were packed away to make room for a sea of toys. How she loved to watch them play and hear their laughter. Come Christmas there would be a literal mountain of gifts sitting under the immaculately decorated tree, gifts she snatched up at garage sales. Micki couldn’t resist the allure of a good garage sale.

The gardens around her home were a special place that she filled with whimsical figurines and decorations. When she wasn’t tending to her flowers, she absolutely loved to sit around her firepit and enjoy the crackle of a bonfire.

Micki was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Joe who died in Vietnam, her brother John, sister Anita, brother-in-law Daryl Hebert, sister-in-law Karen Wittkop, and her beloved daughter Theresa who died in 2019 – a loss she never fully recovered from.

She is survived by her husband Robert, daughters Tina (Rick Holmi) and Mandi, granddaughter Nya Angell, grandsons Jakob Bauman, Will, Phil, and Henry Raihala. She is also survived by her sisters Patricia Hebert and Debra Wittkop, brothers Mark, Tim (MaryAnn), Jim (Kim), and Stephen (Liana), as well as many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Life will be held Oct. 12, from Noon to 3 pm at Asbury United Methodist Church, 6822 Grand Ave., Duluth. Casual and tie-dyed attire encouraged.