Allegra Phyllis Zick

Allegra Phyllis (Shale) Zick, of Baraboo, died Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at the age of 92. She was born on July 18, 1931 to William and Margaret Shale. With the exception of the first five years of married life when she resided in rural Denzer, she lived her entire life at her place of birth on the Shale family sesquicentennial farm in the township of Excelsior, Sauk County. 

Following graduation from Oak Grove Rural School, Allegra attended the Baraboo High School, graduating with honors in the class of 1948. She then enrolled in the Sauk County Teachers’ College, Reedsburg, where she received a teaching certificate in 1950. While teaching in her home school, Blackhawk and Witwen, she commuted summers and weekends to the UW-Platteville to complete her BS degree in 1962. In 1977, she received her MS degree in Educational Administration from the UW-Madison. She was admitted to Pi Lambda Theta, a national honor and professional association in education in 1977, and in 1985 she accepted the Wisconsin Women Leaders In Education Award from the American Association of University Women. Her retirement in 1990 culminated 40 years of teaching, with 29 of those years in the Baraboo School District, the last 11 years as principal of West School. 

On June 9, 1951 she was united in marriage to Albert G. Zick of Denzer. The marriage was blessed by a son, Aaron, and daughter, Amy. She was a devoted wife and mother who regarded her family as her greatest treasure. 

She has been well-known in the community for her leadership roles in the various organizations that she has been part of: the Baraboo Education Association, assisting it to become a union, the Baraboo branch of AAUW, Pleasant Valley, Sauk County, and Southwest District Home and Community Educators, the Baraboo and Wisconsin Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Sauk County Retired Educators, Sauk County Teachers’ College Association, and the Sauk County Natural Beauty Committee. She has taken an active interest in the Sauk County Humane Society, the Sauk County Historical Society, and the Friends of the Al Ringling Theater. In 2002, she received recognition for being the first woman supervisor of the Town of Excelsior. She derived a great deal of satisfaction from being elected to and serving the Baraboo School Board for four terms, 1993-2005. She is best known for spearheading opposition to the WI Department of Transportation’s plan to redesign State Highway 136, and was successful in retaining the scenic and historic nature of Shale’s Corners and the “natural amphitheater”. She was instrumental in the passage of AB24 and was present at the signing of the bill bringing fairness to county board appeals hearings. 

As a dedicated member of the Denzer United Methodist Church, she served in various capacities: pianist for 40 years, worship leader, Sunday School teacher, administrative board, conference delegate for 20 years, choir member, and secretary of the Camp Witwen Board. In 1967, she was certified as a lay speaker by the WI UM Church, preaching in her own church and other churches in the area and in area nursing homes. She also provided the resolution to the WI UM Conference which would require clergy to inform couples planning marriage of the dangers of alcohol at a time of pregnancy preventing fetal alcohol syndrome. In recognition of her life-long leadership and social activism, in 2016 Allegra was presented the Perry Saito Award by the Wisconsin United Methodist Federation for Social Action. 

She and her husband Albert operated the A to Z antiques for 20 years as a hobby and business following their retirement in 1990, restoring and refinishing many of the pieces they sold. In the off season they traveled extensively throughout the United States, including Hawaii, and Canada. Their five trips to Europe enabled Allegra to retrace her and Albert’s ancestry for the information needed to compile their genealogies. Lavish buffets and many prize-winning recipes established her reputation as an outstanding cook. Other interests were music, providing “sing-along” programs at nursing homes, drawing and painting, and creative writing. Her concerns about education and social problems inspired her to write many letters to her legislators and to the media, continuing into 2024. 

In recent years, Allegra resided at Oak Park Place in Baraboo and the last three years at Maplewood in Sauk City. Allegra enjoyed the social activities at Maplewood, games, especially Wheel of Fortune, and musical presentations. She taught several caregivers how to play Wordle using the computer in her room. She faithfully attended the in-facility church services and participated through ZOOM in her Denzer UMC services. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert, November 24, 2019, her parents, her brother, Howard Shale, sisters, Shirley Gay Crawford and Margery Parker, sisters-in-law, Carol Shale and Olive Zick Wawrock, brothers-in-law, Karl Parker, Robert Crawford and Floyd Zick, an infant nephew, and grand-nephew, Matthew Brown.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Amy (Paul) Seiler of Rockford, IL, and Aaron (Liz Cheney) Zick of Portland, OR; five nephews; three nieces; several grand-nephews and nieces, as well as cousins and friends. 

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Denzer United Methodist Church with Pastor Roxi Gnatzig officiating.  Interment will follow at Denzer Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Redlin-Ertz Funeral Home in Baraboo on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.

Memorials may be made to the Baraboo Scholarship Fund, the Baraboo indoor Swimming Pool, the Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library or the Denzer United Methodist Church and Cemetery.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the wonderful staff at Maplewood and Dr. Krszjzaniek for their loving care of Allegra.