BLANCHARDVILLE - A former engineer with The Boeing Company in Washington awoke one morning and wanted to change his life.
And so Tracey A. Vick, a former Blanchardville native, did just that - by going to school to become a dentist.
"He just decided he wanted to do something different in his life," said Vick's sister, Donna Whyte.
Vick, 54, achieved his dream, but his life fell short on Wednesday, after an accident in Edmond, Okla. He was driving a John Deer bulldozer, and at some point, was thrown in front of it and crushed, local police told The Edmond Sun.
Vick died at the scene.
Reports indicate that he had rented the bulldozer so he could begin preparing ground for a new home for his family.
"It was a complete shock," Whyte told The Times on Thursday.
Whyte says she will always remember her brother for his verve and loyalty to those close to him.
"(He was) fun, loving, happy-go-lucky but always there for family and friends," said Whyte. "Whenever you needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there."
At the age of 39, Whyte said, her brother moved far from home to start a new, and demanding, career.
Rather than waiting four years to get into dentistry school in Milwaukee, Vick decided he would pack up his family and go to the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, where the wait was only two years.
Vick worked at Lockheed Martin Corporation, an aerospace company, while attending dentistry classes, and eventually, completing the program.
After working as a dentist for a few years, he was able to open his own practice, My Dentist, in Edmond.
The hard-working dentist is still remembered by former classmates.
Michael Berg of Blanchardville said his father and Vick's father graduated from high school together in 1945. Thirty years later, in 1975, Berg and Vick graduated from Pecatonica High School together.
"He was a good athlete in school, good student, a smart guy," said Berg. "He was a good friend."
Arrangements for Vick are pending at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond.
And so Tracey A. Vick, a former Blanchardville native, did just that - by going to school to become a dentist.
"He just decided he wanted to do something different in his life," said Vick's sister, Donna Whyte.
Vick, 54, achieved his dream, but his life fell short on Wednesday, after an accident in Edmond, Okla. He was driving a John Deer bulldozer, and at some point, was thrown in front of it and crushed, local police told The Edmond Sun.
Vick died at the scene.
Reports indicate that he had rented the bulldozer so he could begin preparing ground for a new home for his family.
"It was a complete shock," Whyte told The Times on Thursday.
Whyte says she will always remember her brother for his verve and loyalty to those close to him.
"(He was) fun, loving, happy-go-lucky but always there for family and friends," said Whyte. "Whenever you needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there."
At the age of 39, Whyte said, her brother moved far from home to start a new, and demanding, career.
Rather than waiting four years to get into dentistry school in Milwaukee, Vick decided he would pack up his family and go to the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, where the wait was only two years.
Vick worked at Lockheed Martin Corporation, an aerospace company, while attending dentistry classes, and eventually, completing the program.
After working as a dentist for a few years, he was able to open his own practice, My Dentist, in Edmond.
The hard-working dentist is still remembered by former classmates.
Michael Berg of Blanchardville said his father and Vick's father graduated from high school together in 1945. Thirty years later, in 1975, Berg and Vick graduated from Pecatonica High School together.
"He was a good athlete in school, good student, a smart guy," said Berg. "He was a good friend."
Arrangements for Vick are pending at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond.