James H. Wolfer

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of James H. Wolfer (Jim); our beloved husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather. Jim was born in Chicago, IL November 1st 1933, the fourth of five children of Virginia (Bradshaw) and George T. Wolfer Sr. Jim’s upbringing was somewhat unconventional, from his family living in financial scarcity in Milwaukee to living in a grand home on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc with a pet monkey. Some of Jim’s fondest childhood memories are of his time at Breck military boarding school in Minnesota where he played football and basketball. In high school, Jim moved to Florida with his parents and got a job at a grocery store where he quickly developed his penchant for earning money and developed a strong work ethic.

In 1953 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was on a ship enroute to Korea when the Armistice Agreement was signed. He served for 3 years as a sergeant and medic on the 38th Parallel.

In 1960, fate brought Jim to Watertown WI where he started working at Durant Manufacturing Company. It was at Durant that Jim met the love of his life, Carol Ann Strauss. After a short courtship, Jim and Carol were married on August 3, 1963, and were blessed to spend 61 wonderful, adventurous years together. He was a very devoted husband. In the four years after they were married, Jim and Carol had two sons while living in one of the farmhouses on the Strauss homestead. Jim desired to provide his children with stable roots and the young family moved into town where they lived in their family home for over 20 years. 

Jim and Carol continued to work at Durant which eventually became Eaton Corporation for 34 and 30 years respectively, where Jim eventually became a Manufacturing Supervisor, in charge of managing upwards of 100 employees. In 1994 after working hard and saving hard, Jim decided he and Carol should retire. Since his father had died at an early age, Jim wanted to ensure he and Carol would have an opportunity to enjoy some golden years together. Jim and Carol were able to experience 30 years of retirement; RV-ing, wintering in Desert Hot Springs, CA, going on cruises and trips to Alaska, Russia, China, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, and having a park model home at Riverbend Resort outside of Watertown. Hard work and determination pay off! 

In time, Jim and Carol became grandparents. In 2002, they decided to move to Appleton, WI to be closer to their grandchildren. Jim loved watching his grandchildren play soccer, baseball, basketball, football and volleyball, sometimes showing up to watch a game even before the team arrived!!

Jim was an avid professional sports fan. He never missed a Packer game and also enjoyed watching Badger football, the Brewers and the Milwaukee Bucks. He liked watching Western movies and listening to Elvis. Jim and Carol played tennis, water-skied and rode motorcycles and snowmobiles.

Jim was not without his challenges. In his 80s, he began suffering from tremendous back pain causing him to fall many times and eventually made it impossible for him to walk. Yet he rarely ever complained. He had a small stroke in 2018 which impacted his vision but more significantly, his language recall and retrieval. Always an amazing story teller, it was frustrating for him when he could not speak the words he knew he wanted to say. In the fall of 2023, he was hospitalized with a serious infection and subsequently spent the last year at a memory care facility.

Jim is survived by his wife Carol; His son Dennis of Appleton and grandson, Weston; and his son Dale and daughter-in-law Barbrajean (Bj) of Appleton and their children Alex, Jacob and Mallory Wolfer. He is further survived by several sisters- and brothers-in-law and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and all his siblings: George and David Wolfer, Peg Burger and Diana Wiedenfeld.

The Christian Memorial Service for Jim will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, September 20, 2024, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, located at 930 E. Florida Avenue in Appleton, with Rev. Timothy Priewe officiating.  Visitation will be held at the church on Friday morning from 9:30 AM until the hour of the service.

The family would like to give special thanks and recognition to the numerous individuals at Silverstone Memory Care who provided such compassionate assistance to Jim. They also want to thank Moments Hospice for their support, especially Rick, for his kindness to Jim. 

You’re the winner Dad! The longest living Wolfer in your family. Your legacy carries on in us and in your grandchildren.