October 18, 1951 – August 16, 2025
Thomas S. Wick, 73, died on August 16 th 2025 from complications due to congestive heart failure.
Tom was well known for being one of the best auto mechanics in North Iowa, owning and operating Wick’s Repair in Mason City from 1983 to 2010. He specialized in fixing rare, antique, and foreign automobiles. People from throughout the Midwest would bring him their expensive Porsches, Jaguars, Mercedes, BMWs, Ferraris, Cadillacs, and even the occasional Lamborghini or Delorean to fix. Many times, he could precisely diagnose a problem with a car just by listening to the sound of it running.
Tom was born Oct 18 th 1951 to parents Ellis and Marguerite Wick, who ran the old Wick’s Groceries and Wick’s Cottages near the Clear Lake City Park. Growing up, Tom would build go-carts out of lawn mower engines and work on cars in his backyard where he usually had at least one engine hanging by a chain from a tree. Whether it was gas, electric, or diesel, he always loved anything with a motor in it. Following graduation from Clear Lake High School in 1970, he was formally trained as a car mechanic at Dunwoody Institute of Minneapolis. He then worked in St. Paul as a car mechanic for several years before moving back to Clear Lake/Mason City in 1975. He eventually opened his own garage, Wick’s Repair, in 1983 and quickly became the mechanic of choice for many North Iowans.
Tom also loved driving and restoring antique and classic cars. One of his favorites was a 1959 seamist green Studebaker Lark with a fold-down bench seat, which he would use to take his family camping and to the old drive-in movie theater. Throughout the 90’s, Tom also restored a black 1923 Model T Ford which he drove numerous times in the Clear Lake 4 th of July Parade and the Mason City Music Man Festival Parade. On more than one occasion, the antique car would break down in the middle of the parade, forcing him to display his skills as a mechanic before a watching audience. He always got it back up and running with minimal delay as the rest of the parade waited patiently behind him.
One of Tom’s proudest moments as a car mechanic was being called to the rescue by a mother whose little boy’s head had gotten trapped in the sunroof of a Mercedes. The power window motor had failed while the boy was playing with the switch, which forced it to close down tight on his neck. Tom arrived at the scene, quickly diagnosed the problem, and rescued the boy before the Fire Department could arrive with the jaws of life. He always joked that it was not the boy’s life he had ended up saving, but the car’s.
Tom also collected and restored antique outboard motors, at one time owning the largest collection in North Iowa. He was also a fan of antique and wooden boats. For many years, Tom drove a bright red 1987 Porsche to which he had attached a trailer hitch in order to pull his matching colored 1951 Feathercraft speed boat. This unique sports car / boat combination won multiple “best display” awards in antique boating shows. Every time he went boating, residents of Clear Lake could hear the roar of his 1923 Evinrude outboard motor from one end of North Shore to the other. He regularly enjoyed the challenge of having to fix a broke-down outboard while stranded in the middle of the lake with nothing but a screwdriver, a matchbook, and a pair of pliers. One time he even lost his 1938 Johnson 4000 RPM to the bottom of Clear Lake and was able to recover it with a garden rake.
Throughout his life, Tom was a free spirit with a colorful sense of humor and a mechanical genius that was unmatched. Tom is survived by his son Andy, daughter-in- law Dara, and grandchildren Wolf, Teddy, and Vivian who live in Rockmart, GA.
Condolences can be sent to the family care of Ward Van Slyke Funeral Home (310 1st Avenue North, Clear Lake, IA, 50428). No services are planned at this time.
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