John "Jack" Edward Denz

JOHN “JACK” EDWARD DENZ, age 76, passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Cross Plains, Wisconsin.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 9, 1947, Jack was the son of Charles and Viola (Stoeber) Denz. Jack graduated from Brookfield Central High School in Wisconsin and earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1973. He was drafted to the US Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Alexandria, Virginia. After an honorable discharge, Jack returned to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and obtained his Master of Business Administration in 1974. He dedicated over 30 years of his career to the printing industry, starting in Cambridge, Maryland, and later at Brown Printing Company in Waseca, Minnesota, where he retired as the Technical Director.

On April 3, 1971, Jack married Mary Sue Tofte in North Lake, Wisconsin, who preceded him in death in 2015. Together, they raised three children, Karen (Kevin) Worden, Jeff (Amy) Denz, and Christopher Denz. Jack worked diligently to support his family and cherished time spent camping, fishing, and attending countless hockey games.

In retirement, Jack found joy at his Island Lake cabin, where he loved hosting friends and family. He especially enjoyed taking his four grandchildren, Griffin, Parker, Kyle, and Natalie, on tube rides where he was known to “crack the whip”. Jack was also a skilled carpenter, generously assisting his children with numerous home improvement projects while demonstrating anything can be solved with hard work, detailed analysis and logic.

In his later years, Jack enjoyed reading novels with his beloved British Labrador, "Roxy," always at his side.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents and siblings Donald Denz and Robert Denz. He will be deeply missed by his surviving family and friends, including his children, grandchildren, sisters Carol Bachman and Mary Maule, and many nieces and nephews.

A service to celebrate Jack’s life will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, July 22, 2024, at the Third Street Chapel of Dennis-Steffel-Omtvedt Funeral and Cremation Service in Waseca. Visitation will begin at 12:30 PM and continue until the time of the service. A reception at the Waseca American Legion will follow the services, where lunch will be provided.