Gunther Wilczynski, 64, of Lead, died peacefully at home with his loving wife by his side on Saturday, August 18, 2012 after a lengthy illness.

Gunther was born February 14, 1948 in Salzgitter, Germany to Francis and Elizabeth Wilczynski. He attended Lead High School until 1966 at which time he eloped with the love of his life Sandra Olson. During their 46 years of marriage four children were born, Shawn, Lora, Lisa and Paula.

He was a longtime employee of Homestake Mining Company. His hobbies included billiards, bowling, home improvement projects, and most importantly, spending time with his family. 'Opa' was the happiest in the presence of his children and grandchildren and often traveled near and far to be with them.

Survivors include his wife Sandy; son Shawn (Donna) Wilczynski; daughters, Lora (David) Waller, Lisa (Orson) Ward and Paula (O'Jay) Leveque; mother Elizabeth; brothers Richard and Bogdan; sister Maryann; grandchildren, Katirae, Zach, Jacob, Augustine, Joshua, Brett, Cassandra, Logan, Landon, Delaney and Ian; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Francis and sister Brigetta.

Beyond his cherished role as Opa, Gunther was an accomplished pool player with numerous individual and team achievements, including a state championship. In recent years, he would often speak of "going to the big pool hall in the sky." Rack 'em up Opa!

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, August 23, at the Lead-Deadwood Memorial Chapel. In lieu of flowers, a memorial may be directed to Hospice of the Northern Hills. A celebration of life will follow at the VFW in Deadwood. The family would like to thank the staff at Lead-Deadwood Regional Hospital for their outstanding care and compassion during Gunther's illness.