Alan Lee Borchardt

Alan Lee Borchardt

Memorial gathering Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the Heritage Funeral Home 4800 South 84th Street Greenfield, WI 53228 from 10:30 AM until time of the Memorial Service at 12:30 PM

Working on endless projects, living a positive life, pulling a prank whenever he could, and loving his family with all his heart, Alan Borchardt will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved him. Alan lived a very full life and had many hobbies such as: fishing, hunting, building, and spending time with his two beautiful grandchildren. Always a hard worker, Alan would always be tinkering on something. He was especially cherished by his two children but will be greatly missed by everyone.

Known as The Golden Age of Television, many American families spent whatever free time they had viewing television broadcasts. Nearly 4.4 million Americans owned a TV during this decade and enjoyed classic shows such as: I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best, and Lassie. The 50s had low crime rates and kids could play outside without any worry from their parents. On September 16, 1955, proud parents Warren and Mitzi (Binder) Borchardt had just welcomed their first child, Alan Lee. Born in Milwaukee, WI but raised in Oak Creek, WI, Alan was the oldest of four. His younger siblings were Denise & David (twins), and Sandy. Alan’s parents owned and operated United Electric Wiring Service. The family lived on Forest Lane and had a unique living arrangement. Forest Lane was a heavily wooded, private road where the only residents were family and cousins. Everyone loved to be outdoors, and they all had a secret call to let each other know they were outside and where to meet. Alan loved to build things and was incredibly good at it. He and his cousins spent the summers building things such as a log cabin behind his home and rafts to float on in the pond nearby. Taxidermy was another hobby that Alan taught himself to do. Growing up he had a special bond with his brother, David, and the pair loved to go hunting or fishing together.

Ever since he was little, Alan had a love for wildlife; a passion that he would hold onto for his entire life. He talked to nature by whistling to birds, and they would often talk back. Alan always had an incredibly special connection to nature and animals—he was often called the animal whisperer by his family. He attended Oak Creek High School, but school was never Alan’s forte. He would have preferred to spend all his time outside in nature or building things. Alan could make something out of nothing; if he had a vision, Alan could always bring his vision to life. During high school, Alan met his high school sweetheart, Ann. Meeting at a young age, she was 13 and he was 14, Alan would often use his sister, Denise, as an excuse to spend time with Ann. She instantly became a part of Alan’s family.

After high school Alan went to work for the family business and became an electrician. He worked at United Electric Wiring Service his whole life and retired as an electrician. Alan was a member of the electrical workers local union 494, (IEBW) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Alan married Ann on January 7, 1978. The pair were married for twenty-seven years before their marriage ended in 2005. Together they had two daughters—Jeni and Julie. Alan built the family’s dream house from the ground up; the home was his ultimate project starting with the plans he drew himself, to the contracting, to the electrical, and even the landscaping. The entire house was built with a great deal of pride and was extremely thought out and meticulous. The family held many pool parties, graduation parties, and made a lot of memories at the beloved house on Puetz Road.

In 2001, Alan’s first grandchild was born, Taylor. She was such a blessing to the family and came at the perfect time. Alan felt that Taylor was his family’s missing piece. She and Alan made endless memories together and she even got to live with him on and off throughout the years. Alan’s daughter, Jeni, married her husband, David, and the couple gave Alan his second grandchild, Carter. Alan loved being a grandpa; he often took Carter all over his property on the tractor. He would tease Jeni commenting on the fact that she should have more children. Jeni would lovingly reply that he already had the perfect combination, a grandson and a granddaughter.

Once on a shopping trip to Aldi, Alan ran into an old friend, Marla Brickler. The two chatted and upon departing, Alan told her he would stop by to visit sometime. Marla fondly remembers that time that he did stop by; she was having spaghetti and meatballs with her two children, Paul and Xena, when the kids suddenly ran outside to see who was in their driveway during dinner. Marla and Alan stayed in touch throughout the years and remained good friends. Their friendship eventually grew into a relationship and could not have come at a better time for Alan. Marla was just the person he needed during this transitional part of his life. She lived on a hobby farm—often called the funny farm by Alan. He referred to the farm as his home, and he adored spending time with all the animals. He had horses, bees, chickens, and birds.

Alan always had some sort of project he was working on. Probably his favorite pastime was building or creating something out of nothing. His trademark was writing his initials on everything (ALB); there isn’t a tool a chair or anything without a saying or his initials on it. In addition to working on projects, Alan enjoyed going to Loon Lake, Pine Lake, and his Green Lake property. He loved hunting and fishing at his favorite lakes and, of course, working on more projects. Alan always had a positive outlook on life and had a great sense of humor. He was known to be quite the jokester and was often pulling pranks on everyone. Albeit one of the smartest people his family knew, Alan made sure to never take life too seriously. Even though he didn’t handle emotions too well, Alan loved his family with all of his heart. Some of his favorite phrases that he often used were: “it never ends” or “you gotta be kidding me.” When asked to describe him one may reply with: perfectionist, organized, Jack of all trades, clean and put together, and rational.

There was never a dull moment in Alan’s life—he made sure of that. From projects, to hunting, to fishing, to spending time with his family, Alan always made sure to fill his days doing all the things he loved most. Alan will be remembered forever as a hard working and loving man. In the words of Thomas Edison, “there is no substitute for hard work.” Alan worked hard until his very last day.

Alan entered into his rest June 27, 2021 at the age of 65. He is the cherished father of Jennifer (David Jr.) Torres and Julie Borchardt. Loving grandfather of Taylor Borchardt and Carter Torres. Beloved fiancé of Marla Brickler. Beloved son of Warren and Maryann “Mitzi” Borchardt. Dear brother of Denise (Brian) Dumke, David Borchardt and Sandy (Greg) Napert. Further survived by special friend Ann Borchardt, Paul and Xena Werner, other relatives and friends.