ISMAIL YAZICIOGLU
January 21, 1945 - March 26, 2019
Obituary
Ismail “Yekta” Yazicioglu, age 74, of Neenah, WI, formerly of Milwaukee, WI, and originally from Istanbul, Turkey, passed away on March 26, 2019. He was born on January 21, 1945 in Ankara, Turkey. Yekta graduated university in Istanbul before moving to London, where he met his future wife, Catherine Locke, in 1973. In a world without email, cell phones or texting, he convinced Cathy to marry him and move to Istanbul. He eventually sold his businesses in Istanbul and they settled in Grand Rapids before moving to Milwaukee. Yekta was a father, a head injury survivor, an accountant, a grade-school volunteer, a voracious reader and learner, and a lover of soccer, live sports, and the outdoors.
He is lovingly survived by his immediate family, Robert Yazicioglu of Chicago, IL; Stephen (Dr. Sonya) Yazicioglu of New York, NY; Catherine Locke of Neenah, WI; his mother, Mediha Yazicioglu, and two siblings, Dr. Ahmet (Meral) Yazicioglu and Gunseli Yazicioglu of Istanbul, Turkey, as well his loving nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his father, Hon. Mehmet Hulusi Yazicioglu.
A memorial service will be held 1:30 pm on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Forest Home Chapel, 2405 W Forest Home Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215. Visitation will be held at the Forest Home Chapel from 1:00 pm until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Yekta Yazicioglu Memorial Fund for the Neenah Public Library via PlumFund [https://www.plumfund.com/memorial-fund/yekta].