John J. Strommen, age 62 of the Town of Wescott, died of a heart attack while in his tree stand on Saturday, November 18, 2017, doing what he loved.
John was born on January 12, 1955 in Racine, a son of the late Alger and Lucille (Fonk) Strommen. He attended school at Horlick High School in Racine. While in Racine, John worked at Gateway Technical College. On July 28, 1984 he married Linda Lepow. They later moved to the Shawano area where John worked for the Bonduel School District for 18 years, retiring in 2014.
John was a kind and gentle man, whose laughter filled the room. His granddaughter, Carly, was the apple of his eye. He was his nieces’ and nephews’ “special Uncle Johnny”, even dressing up as Santa Claus to add to the magic of Christmas. John’s hobbies including riding his Harley, hunting, fishing, boating, and piloting his Cessna 170. He was a member of HOG, EAA, ABATE, and the Shawano Lake Pool League. John was a proud union member and union president at Gateway College and the Bonduel School District.
Survivors include his wife, Linda; his son, Ken (Carrie) Dow; his granddaughter, Carly; brothers and sisters, Thomas (Kay) Strommen, Sandra (Joe) Fliess, Edward Strommen, Dan (Joy Kayon) Strommen, Todd (Becky) Strommen, Susan (Jim) Koloske, and Becky Limbach; his sisters-in-law, Diana Simon, Candace Lepow, and Kelly (Steve) Duckworth; and many special nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, Edward and Dorothy Lepow; and his sister-in-law, Susan Strommen.
A celebration of John’s life will take place on Sunday, November 26, 2017 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Classics in Shawano. Inurnment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers and plants, memorials may be directed to the family for donations to Shawano Cares about Critters.