James
“Jim” Boerner passed away peacefully at St. Nicholas Hospital while in hospice
care on Friday, June 29, 2018 with his loving wife by his side. Jim was born on January 14, 1938 in
Sheboygan, Wisconsin to the late Martin and Mary Boerner. Upon graduating from Kohler High School in
1956, Jim enlisted in the US Air Force where he completed Aircraft Control and
Warning school at Keesler Air Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Jim was stationed at the Osceola Air Force
Station in East Farmington, Wisconsin where he met the love of his life,
Phyllis Montpetit, whom he married on June 10, 1961. Together Jim and Phyllis raised four
children.
Jim spent
most of his career at Plastics Engineering as a Maintenance Foreman retiring in
2000. During his 21 years at Plastics Engineering, he made many friends and
continued to see them at company gatherings and for morning coffee after
retirement. Jim had the mind and ability
to fix anything. He was not one to give unsolicited advice, although his words,
“Don’t mess with plumbing – unless you know what you are doing”, are best
followed.
Following
retirement, Jim continued with his passion for fishing, woodworking, cooking,
and spending time with his grandchildren.
Jim was a master craftsman having been given the gift of creating
beautiful furniture and other pieces “for family only”. He was often told he should sell his
furniture; but to Jim, it was the meaning of the making it for those he loved
that that gave him joy in the effort he put into it. If you were a recipient of one of Jim’s
pieces and not family, you were very special to him. Everything he did was with precision. On the very few occasions when a cut of wood
was off ever so slightly, he would say “well we’re not building a church”.
Jim was
not one who could sit for any period of time.
He always had to be doing something. In addition to his woodworking, Jim
was a self-taught chef taking over most of the cooking duties when he retired. He loved spending time in the kitchen making
large quantities of soups, chili, and sliced beef. He mastered the Food Saver Sealer System,
freezing servings of his soups and the like – with precision. Not one to pass up a good deal on meats, he
used his food saver talent to fill the freezer as well. Jim took great pride and enjoyment cooking
ribs and extra-large steaks for family and friends.
An avid
sports, Jim was a stellar athlete himself playing football, basketball and
track and field at Kohler High School.
Jim was a part of the 1956 Kohler High School Basketball team that
finished fourth in the WIAA State Tournament.
In 2015, Jim was proud to take part in the WIAA Basketball 100th
Anniversary celebrating the Kohler State Basketball Tournament Teams at Kohler
High School.
Jim was an
amazing father, father-in-law and grandfather.
Whether it was working on cars with his son, attending his children’s
band concerts (too many to count), fishing with his children and then
grandchildren, or attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events,
Jim took great pride in teaching us all valuable lessons for life. He was a role model and created memories that
will long surpass his time with us and will be cherished and shared for
generations to come.
Most of
all, Jim was an incredible husband to Phyllis whom he cherished. She meant the world to him. His love and care for her cannot be described
in words. He took great enjoyment
cooking special dinners for her, gambling trips, and spending every waking
minute with her. Phyllis was his
greatest passion.
Jim will
be sadly missed by his wife of 57 years, Phyllis (Montpetit) Boerner; children
Lisa (Steve) Hansen of Oshkosh, Jim (Lisa) Boerner and Janelle (Jim) Goking of
Sheboygan, and Mary (John) Walch of Green Bay; grandchildren Ellyn Hansen,
Molly and Jack Goking, and Craig Gerber and Katherine Walch. He is further survived by his sisters,
Jacqueline Daniels of Oshkosh and Jeanine (Scott) Mullen of Sheboygan. He was preceded in death by his parents
Martin and Mary Boerner; father and mother-in-law Edward and Goldie Montpetit;
brother, John Boerner; and grandson Mitchell Hansen.
Jim was a
fighter who battled cancer for 18 years, but never complained. He was a man of strong faith and is at peace
in the Lords hands, free of pain. The
family would like to thank his special Angels who cared for him at St. Nicholas
Hospital, especially his many compassionate nurses. We would also like to thank the nurses and
staff at Matthews Oncology Associates for their kindness throughout the
years. Finally, we thank Dr. Bettag
whose compassion and friendship to Jim goes beyond that of a Doctor-patient
relationship. Even to his end, he gave
his caregivers and family a smile, a wink, and a Mentos.
Please
visit
www.zimmerfuneralhome.com
to sign the guestbook. As Jim requested, a private Mass for family
will be held at Holy Name Catholic Church.
In lieu of flowers, Jim requested gifts in his memory be made to Holy
Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
