John Wyman Icke, 88, an engineer, master woodworker and life-long Madisonian passed away peacefully at home on February 22, 2026 surrounded by his family. He was born in Madison on May 21, 1937, to George and Virginia (Black) Icke.

John attended Wisconsin High School and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1959 with a degree in engineering and membership in the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.

While a junior at Dartmouth, John received a letter from his mother out of which fell—quite literally—a photograph of a pretty girl named Karen, a coed at the University of Maryland. Karen’s mother had passed the photo along to John’s mother with the suggestion that the two might meet. As luck would have it, John’s roommate was traveling to Washington, D.C., for Thanksgiving but needed transportation. John had a car. It took John only a few minutes to make a call to the girl in the photograph and arrange a Thanksgiving meeting. John and Karen fell in love, married in 1960, and shared 66 remarkable years together. John loved to tell others his was an "arranged marriage".

After college, John attended officer candidate school and served in the United States Coast Guard from 1960 to 1963. He returned to Madison and joined the construction company founded by his grandfather, John F Icke. Here he continued to develop his natural instinct to analyze, measure, and understand; an engineering mindset used throughout his life. For 30 years he worked alongside his father George and brother Phil, building not just roads and city infrastructure but a family legacy. When the construction company closed in 1992, John and Phil shifted their focus to real estate management.

Service was an important part of John's life. For 61 years he was an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison. As a longtime docent at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, he spent hundreds of hours guiding visitors through history with insight and the kind of storytelling that made the veteran experience come alive.

A lifelong learner and avid reader, John and several friends founded a men's book club in 1981. For 45 years the book club was a very important part of his life, challenging him intellectually and bringing him lasting friendships. He also enjoyed attending Madison's fine cultural offerings - the symphony, opera and Repertory Theatre where he served on the Board.

John loved playing sports. Over the decades he played softball, squash, tennis, racquetball, and golf. He was particularly proud of shooting his age numerous times in golf and recording three holes-in-one — statistics he delivered with modesty and just a hint of satisfaction. For much of their lives, John and Karen were cyclists, riding the scenic routes of Wisconsin.

Travel also delighted his analytical mind. Wherever he went, he admired not only the beauty of great places but the ingenuity behind them. Extraordinary structures like The Alhambra, Machu Picchu and The Panama Canal were three of his favorites.

Woodworking, however, was his passion. Introduced to the craft in high school shop class, John became a master craftsman and went on to design and build more than 50 pieces of fine furniture and art. Inspired by things seen in museums, galleries, books, and magazines, he drafted his own plans and engineered creative solutions to make his pieces. For John, the pleasure was in the engineering problems he solved to create each beautiful piece.

John is survived by his wife Karen; his children and their spouses, Janet (Andy) Todd, Robert (Rachel) Icke, and Diana (Josh) Boehm; six grandchildren, Abigail (Kevin), Taylor (Dan), Patrick, Aidan, John, and Eleanor; and one great-grandson, Miles, his sister, Jenna Brown (Doris Jeanette); brother-in-law Tad Dunn and cousin Chris (Belinda) Green and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister Joan Dunn and brother Phil.

The family will host A Celebration of Life at Blackhawk Country Club, 3606 Blackhawk Drive, Madison, WI on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Please share your memories of John by posting in his guestbook.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434