Timothy Michel Cusick

Timothy Michel Cusick
June 3, 1939 – September 10, 2020
Timothy (Tim) Michel Cusick, age 81, passed away on Thursday, September 10, 2020, after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a fighter to the end.
Tim was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on June 3rd, 1939, to Marshall and Clara (Michels) Cusick. A proud graduate of Eau Claire's Regis High School in 1957, Tim enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF) where he was stationed in numerous locales including Okinawa, Japan. Following four years in the USAF, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW), graduating in 1965. On trips back to Madison, he always visited his favorite haunts including the David Shriner House, where he lived during undergrad, and Glenn & Anne's, a local watering hole that would alter the course of his life.
At Glenn & Anne's, Tim met Carolyn Bowman Miller, a graduate student at UW, who would become his bride and "beloved spouser" in 1966. After stints post-graduation in Milwaukee and Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Tim and Carolyn headed west to Colorado with their infant daughter, Martha, in 1969.
Lured by the wide-open skies and snow-capped mountains, Tim and Carolyn found their home in Denver. Always up for a challenge, Tim taught himself to ski at the age of 30, quickly conquering some of Colorado's toughest hills. His love of the mountains would be with him for the rest of his life. He skied into his mid-70s and was proud to have summited many of Colorado's vaunted 14ers. In Colorado, he also continued his education, graduating from the University of Denver's first Executive MBA program, where he made many life-long friends.
Tim enjoyed a successful career, first as an accountant, then steering many medical device and technology companies, and an accounting firm in CEO roles. Always a hard worker from a young age, Tim spent his "retirement" working for nonprofit organizations, helping seniors manage their finances. For Tim, work was never a job, it was a calling.
But his most treasured role was that of son, sibling, husband, parent, and grandfather. He was a devoted spouse to Carolyn, his equally devoted wife of 54 years, and a protective, loving parent to his two children, Martha Cusick, of Denver, Colorado, and Tim Cusick, Jr., also of Denver. And it would be a long journey to find a grandfather more besotted with his grandchildren, Olivia Jane, age 16, and Truman James, age 11. He was not a natural animal lover but reluctantly became a dog grandparent, and he secretly loved that role, too. H/T Jonesy, Iko, and Sherwood.
Tim was everybody's rock. He was your biggest champion, a shoulder to rest on, an anchor in your storm. He taught us to ride bikes, to ski, to camp and backpack, to explore, to grow. He coached and sponsored baseball teams and shouted from the sidelines of endless baseball and soccer games and tennis matches. He was kind, decent, hardworking, and loyal. He encouraged everyone to do their best, to be their best. And he showed us what a husband and father should be at their best.
In addition to Carolyn, Martha, Tim, Jr., Olivia, and Truman, Tim is survived by his brother, Richard (Judy) Cusick of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, sisters Deborah (Robert) Gustin of Siren, Wisconsin, and Kristine Cusick (Roy Bystedt) of Trego, Wisconsin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his father and mother-in-law, Ray and Jane Miller, and his brother, David Patrick Cusick (Nancy).
We love you, Dad. Always and forever. Thank you for always keeping your watchful eye on all of us. You left us all with too many fond memories to ever capture here.