Joseph J. Lamers

Joseph John Lamers, 68, passed away peacefully at home on August 4, 2023 while holding Lisa’s hand, his beloved wife of 32 years. In his final weeks, he was continuously surrounded by family and friends.

Joe was born on February 4, 1955 in Little Chute, WI to Thomas and Dorothy (Look) Lamers. He was part of the last graduating class of St. John’s High School (Little Chute) in 1973. While in high school, he served as manager of the basketball, football, and track teams, earning eight athletic letters. After graduating, he enjoyed many years playing slow-pitch softball and coaching Little League.

Joe graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Health from UW-La Crosse in 1977 and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from UW-Oshkosh in 1984. He thrived as a lifelong educator in the Appleton Area School District from 1978-2017. During his time with the District, he taught at Einstein and Wilson Middle Schools and Appleton East High School. In 1997, he transitioned to the role of a guidance counselor at Appleton East. Joe was incredibly active in the school community; he coached multiple sports including girls and boys basketball, girls softball, and boys track. As Head Varsity Coach of the Appleton East girls basketball team, he led the team to the state tournament twice - first in 1990 and then 1998.

Joe loved fishing and living on the lake. As a bachelor, he enjoyed fishing in Canada and, later, he perfected his perch-catching skills on Lake Winnebago. For many years, Joe enjoyed driving his boat to pull his family and friends on tubes, wakeboards, and kneeboards. With his patience and encouragement, he also taught many to ski.

He was united in marriage to Lisa (Sutheimer) on August 10, 1991. Joe and Lisa had a deep and loving relationship; they were the perfect pair and complemented each other in all the best ways. Joe will be remembered for his dedication to his family as he humbly led by example, both in his deep faith and the beautiful way he lived his life. He loved spending time with his children, Ben and Mallory, coaching and enthusiastically supporting them at every school and sporting event. He was so proud of all their accomplishments and the wonderful adults they have become. As a family of four, they enjoyed many traditions together, such as their annual family vacation at Roberts Lake, making Christmas candy, decorating for holidays, and visiting Schwarz’s Supper Club.

Joe is survived by his loving wife Lisa, his son Ben, his daughter Mallory and her fiancé Ryan Jenquin. He is also survived by his father-in-law, Kenneth Sutheimer; his siblings: Louann (Wayne) Vande Hey, Dan (Kathy), Larry (Jolene), Ken (Nancy), and Pat (Jackie); in-laws: Debbie Dengel, Janet Sutheimer, Cathy (Greg) Mekuly, Dan (JoAnn) Sutheimer, Carolyn (Chris) Olson, Pamela (Mike) Michlig, and Brian (Amie) Sutheimer; nieces and nephews: Jenni Vande Hey, Greg (Barb) Vande Hey, Julie (Joe) Trzebiatowski, Brian (Susan), Laurie Maas, Clint, Karrie (Phil McMullen), Marty (Kim), Sarah (Josh) Verkuilen, Katherine (Rob) Goodin, Nicholas, Luci (Zach) Hays, Claire, Anna, Joe (Nikki) Dengel, Tom Dengel, Jocelyn (Geoff) Donaldson, Scott Steel, Courtney (Matt) Ertel, Breanna Mekuly, Luke (Heather) Mekuly, Adam Sutheimer, Nathan (Justis) Sutheimer, Maria Olson, Allison Sutheimer, and Natalie Sutheimer; as well as 26 great-nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents Thomas and Dorothy (Look) Lamers and his mother-in-law Patricia (Seidl) Sutheimer.

Joe will be greatly missed by his family, friends, students, and former coworkers.

The visitation will be held on Thursday, August 10, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, at the Tri County Chapel, 1592 Oneida St, Menasha.

The funeral mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday, August 11, at 11:00 AM, at Holy Spirit Kimberly, 600 E. Kimberly Ave, Kimberly. A visitation will be held at the church prior from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

The family would like to thank Dr. Thomas Klinkhammer and his care team for their dedication to Joe and his family. Thank you for going above and beyond every step of the way.