Jim Mauthe passed away peacefully on August 28, 2026, after a brief illness. For nearly 98 years he lived a full life centered on his family, faith, and friends. He was a man of character, accomplishment, curiosity, kindness, and a great sense of humor.

Jim was born to Clarence (Ted) and Lillian Mauthe on September 28, 1928, in Appleton. He was a protective, and sometimes bossy, big brother to June, Jan, and Jean. A credit to the family that Ted and Lil started, those sibling relationships continued to be strong throughout their lives.

In 1958 Jim met Millie Werner in the Don Bosco social group at St. Joseph Parish in Appleton. They were married on May 14, 1960. Together they raised three sons: John, Joe, and Bob. With Jim in the house there was sure to be music playing, woodworking projects underway, soup on the stove, and always something new to be learned. Perhaps the greatest lesson Jim instilled in his family was how to be a stellar husband and father.

Jim joined the Appleton Fire Department in 1952. Over the next 33 years he was regularly promoted, created new roles, and ultimately held every position within the department. As the oldest living member of the AFD, he was treated with the utmost respect by his fellow firefighters, culminating last year as he once more rode inthe restored Old Engine No. 5 – the same 1928 Seagrave pumper on which he learned to drive.

After hanging up his fire helmet, Jim enjoyed a long and adventurous retirement with Millie. Together they travelled extensively throughout the country and around the world. Each trip brought new sights, introduced new cultures and music, and strengthened friendships with their fellow travelers. Jim was often looked to as the unofficial guide, leading the group even if he was unsure of where he was going himself. When they stowed their suitcases for the final time, they had enjoyed more than 40 trips to over 25countries. They also did a tremendous amount of volunteering at their church and within the community, eventually earning the Governor’s Service Award in 2023and clocking over 13,000 service hours. Through theirvolunteer work they developed deeper relationships with their friends and their community. Most important to Jim and Millie was their growing family. They were quick to attend school and sporting events, or any reason to be with their eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He loved family gatherings which always seemed to involve Oreos and card games (he was an early knocker in “31”).

Jim and Millie were a great team and a model of what it means to be married to your best friend. They always took care of each other, shared similar interests, were quick to help others, kept their family as their first priority, and always remembered to have fun along the way. Simply said, they made each other better. Jim often commented on how lucky he was to have Millie as his wife and in later years how grateful he was for the care she provided for him. When asked the secret to his long life, Jim said that it really all came down to having the right person as his wife.

Jim will be greatly missed by his beloved Millie; his sons John (Michelle), Joe, and Bob (Terri); grandchildren Stephanie, Christina, Jim, Tom, Andy, Jacob, Rachel, and Alina; and great-grandchildren Easton, Hutson, Adrien, Mabel, Hazel, Marshall, Lawrence, and Griffin.

Jim and Millie were founding members of St. Bernadette Parish and were very active in parish life. Jim’s faith was an important and ever-present part of who he was. Visitation and a funeral Mass will be held at St. Bernadette Church, 2331 E. Lourdes Drive, Appleton, on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. with Mass at 11:00 a.m. Lunch will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable donation in Jim’s name to your favorite charity. For what it’s worth, Jim’s favorites were Pillars (www.pillarsinc.org), Friends of the Appleton Fire Department(www.afdfriends.org), and St. Bernadette Parish(www.saint-bernadette.org)

The Mauthe Family would like to thank the staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital for their excellent and compassionate care of Jim in his final days.