Sigfred “Sig” Malvik

January 14, 1932 – December 30, 2020

Sigfred (Sig) Malvik, 88 passed away peacefully on Dec. 30, 2020, at his winter home in Arizona City, Arizona. His wife Elaine and family members were at his side.

Sig was born on Jan. 14, 1932, in Trondheim, Norway, to parents Sverre and Svandhild (Holum) Malvik.

In 1948 the family immigrated to St Paul, Minnesota. Sig graduated from St. Paul Central High School in 1950. Shortly after graduation, he was drafted into the army and was stationed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

In 1956, Sig married Elise (Walebrokke), in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They had four children and were married until Lisa’s death in 1978.

Sig remarried in 1980 to Sandra (Gullixon). They were married for 22 years until her death in 2002.

He was certain that he would not marry again and then to his surprise, Sig reconnected with a former schoolmate, Elaine Zechmann, at his Arizona church. They hit it off right away and were married after a whirlwind courtship on Oct. 31, 2010. He was 78 and Elaine was 76.

Sig was a man of many talents. He supported his family as a carpenter but he also obtained his real estate license in the 1980s and opened a furniture store in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1984. He was fond of saying, “I can do anything.”

Sig was a very competitive person who enjoyed all kinds of sports. His main loves were ski jumping, soccer, track and field, and golf. He medaled at State in track and field in high school and played semi-professional soccer for many years.

Sig ski jumped in eight different countries and in eight different decades, starting in the 1930s. He took his last jump in 2000 at the age of 68. In 1993 Sig jumped in the World Masters in Kuopio, Finland, where he took first place on the 64-meter jump. In 2010 he was inducted into the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame.

His love for ski jumping was evident in the fact that he jumped, coached, and judged the sport. In 2003 Sig taught three of his grandsons to ski jump and continued to watch and coach them for years. Last winter was especially memorable for Sig as he had the opportunity to watch a great-grandson take his first jumps and see the family tradition continue.

Sig loved to spend time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren, watching them in all of their endeavors. From basketball and dance to football, cross country, track and baseball. And of course, he always cherished the times spent with them on the golf course.

One of the highlights of each summer was when Grandpa Sig and Grandma Elaine would join the family for a couple of days of the week-long camping trip. Grandpa Sig never ceased to amaze his grandkids by teaching them how to throw a knife, fishing with them, borrowing one of their bikes to ride to the bathroom, challenging them to a running race and more times than not, beating them at golf. Grandpa Sig was quick to hug his grandkids and made sure that each one knew how much he loved them and that he was always so proud of them.

In 2010 Sig and his whole family were blessed when he met and fell in love with Elaine Zechman. They went to high school together at St. Paul Central in the 1950s and met again at church in Arizona City. They spent 10 wonderful years together taking many amazing vacations and spending much time traveling the United States to visit family and friends. The pair would summer in Iola and winter in Arizona City. Sig’s face would light up when Eliaine walked into a room or when he would hear her voice. All you had to do was look at the couple to know how much they loved each other.

Sig is survived by his wife Elaine Malvik. Children: Erik (Chris) Malvik, Lila (Jim) Shower, Arne Malvik, and Christine (Nate) Gessner. Brothers: John (Wanda) Malvik and Olav (Joanne) Malvik. Step children: David Zechman, Chris (Mark) Hensel, Linda (Russ) Knapp and Jimmy (Pam) Gullixon. Grandchildren: Zach (Callie) Malvik, Ellie (Cody) Keenan, Tryg, Finn and Erik Gessner. Great-grandchildren: Zander and Zoey Malvik and Boone and Huck Keenan. Honorary grandson: Sam Broering. And his favorite uncle, Paul Holum. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Jenny Rasmussen.

A celebration of life is to take place in Iola Winter Sports Club will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Sigs name to: Hitterdahl Lutheran Church, Iola, or the Sig Malvik Youth Ski Jumping Memorial.