May 1, 2023 – West Bend, WI – Jacob “Jake” N. Fell of West Bend died on Sunday, April 30, 2023, at his home at the age of 85 years. He was born January 18, 1938, in Ashford to the late John and Christina (nee Schraufnagel) Fell.
Jake graduated from Campbellsport High School with the Class of 1955. He then enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard.
On June 9, 1960, he was united in marriage to Genevieve “Jenny” Struebing at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in the Town of Wayne.
In 1961, Jake was called up to serve in the United States Army, being stationed at Ft. Lewis in Washington state. Following his discharge, he returned to Wisconsin, and the family settled in West Bend.
He started working for Rudy’s Construction as a heavy equipment operator. One of his jobs was to help build roads across Wisconsin. He then went on to work at West Bend Transit, retiring after 30 years.
Over the years, Jake was involved in many aspects of the community. He was a little league coach for 10 years, a cub scout Cub Master, a drummer with an area polka band, The Mountaineers, and volunteered many hours with West Bend Germanfest, to name a few. He also loved to spend time outdoors. Hunting and fishing were his favorite pastimes, which included trips to Wyoming, Montana, Canada, and the deer camp near Crivitz.
Above all else, his family took center stage in his life, attending all of his children’s and grandchildren’s events. He could be found cheering them on at their games and sitting in the crowd at various school events.
He was a member of the Loyal Order Of Moose West Bend Lodge 1398 for 50 years.
Survivors include his loving wife of more than 62 years Jenny; 4 children: Mark (Dawn) of Fair Hope, AL, Russ (Stacy) of Rice Lake, Julie (Pat) Burke of Sparta, and Scott (Kerri) of Kewaskum; 9 grandchildren: Anthony, Spencer, Brendan (Ashley), Jake, Bennett, Megan, Emily, Olivia and Karter; 2 sisters Angie Westerman and Christine (Jim) Ruplinger; other relatives and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 1 son Brian, 2 brothers Joseph (Ardell) and Frank (Arlene), and 1 brother-in-law Richard Westerman.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, May 4 at 2 p.m. at Holy Angels Catholic Church with a private burial in St. Matthew’s Cemetery in Campbellsport. The family will greet relatives and friends during a period of visitation at church on Thursday from 12 p.m. until 1:45 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated.
