Steve E. Ziehm considered himself a businessman, but he had the heart of an artist.

His artistic side could be seen in the yard and gardens he meticulously groomed, the photographs he took, the paintings he created and the way he viewed life.

He and his father Fred exercised their creativity in building Missing Links Golf Club in Mequon, which they shaped from a relatively flat piece of property into a par-three Cayman course designed to be played with a Cayman ball, which has pimples instead of dimples. Mr. Ziehm often talked about operating heavy machinery to shape the land into a course reminiscent of the Scotish highlands.

Mr. Ziehm, 63, of Port Washington died after a short battle with cancer on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at Sharon Richardson Community Hospice in Sheboygan Falls.

He was born on Aug. 25, 1960, in Milwaukee to Fredric and Karen Ziehm.

He attended Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee and graduated from Grafton High School in 1978. He then attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for a year while working with his father on Missing Links.

Mr. Ziehm was the golf professional at the course and taught many students to play the game and improve their swings.

He left the golf business in the mid-1980s and went to work as a sales representative for Lorillard Tobacco. He retired in 2015, then worked part-time at Home Depot in Grafton until the pandemic.

Mr. Ziehm married Kristyn Halbig on Oct. 6, 1990, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Grafton. The couple lived in Grafton for a time, then moved to Port Washington, where they raised their daughter Nicole.

Mr. Ziehm was a competitive man. At Wisconsin Lutheran High School, he played basketball. His love of the sport, nurtured by his father, never waned. He especially enjoyed watching his daughter play the sport in middle and high school and coaching her.

After his family moved to Grafton, he played on the Grafton High golf team.

He enjoyed playing cards, especially rummy and cribbage, and chess, and he was intrigued by slight of hand and magic. He would spend hours trying to figure out magic tricks and enjoyed showing off his skill at card tricks.

He was an outgoing man who enjoyed getting to know people, and he had a zest for life that couldn't be dimmed. He loved to make people laugh and was known for the gag gifts he gave family and friends.

He was a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks and Green Bay Packers as well as the Wisconsin Badgers. One of his favorite memories was meeting Packers quarterback Brett Favre during a signing organized by his father.

He also enjoyed traveling and often told stories of the childhood trips he took with his family to Mexico.

Mr. Ziehm liked good food and particularly enjoyed grilling meals for family and friends. He often quoted his father, whose mantra when enjoying a steak dinner was "Eat until you sweat."

He liked history and often said that had he pursued another career it would have been as an archeologist. He enjoyed collecting sports memorabilia, tinkering on his computer and gardening.

Mr. Ziehm is survived by his wife Kristyn of Port Washington, daughter Nicole of Madison, sister Jill Ziehm of Sheboygan and mother Karen McClellan of Sheboygan Falls.

He is further survived by his aunts and uncles, Julie and Jim Tuerff, Jacqueline (the late Gordon Ewart and the late Sidney Sexton) and Francine and John Lorts.

He was preceded in death by his father Fred in 2004 and stepfather Max McClellan.

A celebration of life is being planned.

Memorials to Sharon Richardson Community Hospice or the American Cancer Society are suggested.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Eernisse Funeral Home, Port Washington.

Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com.