Jon W. Kuse

 

PORTAGE  --  Jon W. Kuse suffered a heart attack and died unexpectedly on Sunday, September 5, 2010, in Ladysmith, WI.  He was born on September 8, 1949, in Medford, Wisconsin, to Grace and Warren Kuse.  He graduated from Medford Senior High School in June, 1968, and attended UW-Stevens Point, enlisting in the US Army in March, 1969.  He completed training in the Special Forces, as a Green Beret, and served two tours in Vietnam.  He returned home and married Judith Keefe in Medford on June 24, 1972.  They made their home in Portage, Wisconsin, and Jon attended UW-Madison and graduated with a BBA in December, 1976.  Together, they had two children, Ben (Helena) and Ted.

Jon treasured his family.  He was a man of many interests who lived life with passion.  He loved the great outdoors – hunting with the Curran Crew, fishing in Hayward and Canada, and golfing, riding the Harley, kayaking and traveling with Judy, family and friends.  His entire career was spent in the plastics manufacturing field and he had worked for Penda Corp., Tri-Enda Corp., Klack Corp., General Polymers, and, at the time of his death, for Total Petrochemicals.

He was a member of Portage United Methodist Church, Friends of the Public Library, and Friends of the Portage Center for the Arts, and had served on the Portage Fire Department, the Portage Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the MATC Advisory Board for Fire Science.  He was a past member of the Portage Country Club and the Portage Curling Club.
Jon is survived by his wife, Judy;  his children, Ben (Helena) and Ted;  his sisters, Sandra Skach and Kristin Kuse, both of St. Paul, MN;  his brother, Bill (Patsy) Kuse of Green Bay;  his mother-in-law, Melva Keefe, his sister-in-law, Sue (Dean) Emmerich and brother-in-law, Robert (Laurie) Keefe of Medford;  his sister-in-law, Kate Clanton of Marshfield, and his brother-in-law, Pat (Michelle) Keefe of Wausau, and twenty-six nieces and nephews.

The celebration of Jon’s life will include visitation at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home on Thursday, September 9, 2010, from 4-7 p.m., with a time for sharing remembrances from 7-8 p.m., and funeral services, with military rites, at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 10, 2010, at Portage United Methodist Church. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jon W. Kuse Memorial Scholarship fund established by Jon’s family at Portage National Bank, to support students who pursue careers in fire science, or to the Portage Public Library.

As one dear friend said, “He’s irreplaceable”.  His big personality allowed him to go where angels fear to tread, and now he is among them.

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