Lennie Shefchik was born on April 17, 1946. He is the sixth oldest of 14 children and grew up on a dairy farm near Luxemburg, Wisconsin. He attended St. Mary’s Grade School, graduated from Luxemburg High School in 1965, and spent one year at UW Stevens Point. During the summer of 1966, Lennie met his wife Joan. This year they will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on May 27. They have two sons, Steve and Alan. Steve and his wife Marcia have three daughters—Mallory, Cora, and Melanie. Alan and his wife Melanie, have one daughter, Susanna.

Lennie’s interest in wrestling began because of the participation and success of his older brothers. He qualified for the state high school wrestling tournament in 1964 and 1965. The following year, he earned a letter at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and became the first Luxemburg graduate to wrestle in college. For the next 15 years from 1967 to 1981, he volunteered at various area high schools to help with wrestling practice. From 1982 to 1984, he was the assistant wrestling coach at West De Pere High School. The last 33 years he has been the assistant coach at Denmark High School. This year he filled out his 53rd state tournament wrestling program.
Lennie’s first jobs away from the farm were at a packing house and a cheese factory. In 1968, he was hired at Shade Business Forms and worked there for 20 years. He was responsible for transportation and distribution. In 1988, the business was sold. Lennie left the company and started a logistics management consulting business. In 1990, Lennie and Joan partnered with another couple and founded a trucking company that has grown to 690 trucks and over 800 employees. Lennie and Joan are in the process of transitioning the ownership of the company to the management team.

One of the best things about Lennie’s career jobs was the flexibility that allowed him to pursue his interest in wrestling. Lennie plans to continue coaching at Denmark as long as his health allows, and feels he is making a meaningful contribution. Lennie and Joan plan to travel extensively, be involved in volunteer work, and be available for projects at the trucking company.

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