- John (Jack) Mitchler passed away peacefully at home, the evening of April 4, 2014, surrounded by his loving family, after a short but valiant fight against cancer.
He was born on Oct. 21, 1937, the 5th of 12 children for Olga (Jesse) and John Mitchler in Kimberly, Wisconsin. He grew up in a lively household of 14, enjoying the life skills that come with sharing and compromising when there are so many siblings. He met Rosemary Vander Loop in high school and later married her in a lovely wedding right before leaving for Germany to serve in the U.S. Army in 1957. His two years in the service proved to leave a life long impression on Jack as he continued to consider his fellow service men some of his best life long friends. He returned home to start a 34 year long career in the paper mill industry for Consolidated Papers, Inc. Starting out as a mill wright in Appleton and working his way up to the position of Chief Maintenance Coordinator in Wisconsin Rapids. In those early years, he and Rosemary had 3 children. He was a fantastic father and eventually grandfather. He was always available to help out where he could, give a big hug or words of encouragement and beam with pride. He could be found shouting from bleachers for decades cheering on his family and friends. He also started volunteering tirelessly for his local church and became part of the Knights of Columbus. He will be remembered by many for his generous nature, giving his time and energy to those in need.
He made it a goal to retire early and was able to move to Minocqua, WI in 1994, where he could pursue his passions for hunting and fishing out his back door and traveling with his best-friend Rosemary. He continued to volunteer at church and in the community, always bringing a smile to those he knew and offering end of life help to those who needed a hand.
He will be dearly remembered for all the love that he shared his funny sayings when we came in the door and for reminding us when "the bus is leaving".
He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years Rosemary; and his children, Jeffrey (Sandi) Mitchler of Kimberly, WI; Susan (Andy) Teichmiller of Arbor Vitae, WI; and Cathy (Dan) Hein of Appleton, WI; his grandchildren, Tara Mitchler of Menasha WI; Tamara Zwiers of Appleton, WI; Jacob Mitchler of Kimberly, WI; Leah (Jeff) Houghton of Glendale, WI; Lexie Hein of Appleton, WI; Celesté Teichmiller and Alysse Teichmiller of Arbor Vitae, WI; his great-grandchildren, Alyza Mitchler, Phoenix Zwiers, Maylahni Zwiers, and Jaden Revoir; his siblings, Mildred Francek of Neenah, WI; Dorothy Micheln of Oshkosh, WI; Delores Fisher of Kimberly, WI; Sharalene (Roger) Rainville of Kimberly, WI; Daniel (Joanne) Mitchler of Kimberly, WI; Jesse Jarat of Appleton, WI; Marilyn (Jerry) Vander Pas of Combined Locks, WI; and Barbara Jo Mitchler of Appleton, WI,
He has been preceded in death by his parents, Olga and John, his siblings, Carmen Mitchler, Carmel Leavitt, and Gladys Zielinski and by his father and mother-in-law, John and Irene Vander Loop.
John was a member of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Woodruff and there will be a visitation at 10 a.m. and a Mass of resurrection and a celebration of life on April 14th at 11 a.m.
Memorial donations can be made to Saint Judes Children's Hospital or the Michael J Fox Parkinson's Foundation for Parkinson's research.
Online condolences may be shared at www.nimsgernfuneral.com
NIMSGERN FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES IS SERVING THE FAMILY
Published in Appleton Post-Crescent on Apr. 10, 2014
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1937 - 2014 (76 years)
Military Service
