James W. Meckstroth, 84, of Elroy passed away Friday, March 15, 2013, at Tomah Memorial Hospital.
He was born June 3, 1928, to Dr. Emil and Mary (West) Meckstroth in Dayton, Ohio. He grew to adulthood in Sandusky, Ohio, where he was a multi-sport high school athlete and elected to the Sandusky High School Hall of Fame. He later graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in animal husbandry.
Jim married Jean Theibert on Sept. 29, 1951, in Sandusky. He was a cattle buyer for a large packinghouse for 10 years; he also was a salesman for Harvestore. In 1960, the family moved to a farm near Wilton, where they raised beef cattle. They sold their farm and moved to Elroy in 1980.
Jim was an avid sports enthusiast, fisherman and bridge player. He enjoyed time at their cabins on Grindstone Lake, near Hayward, Wis. He was a Tough-Man boxing competition judge and a corner man for Ed Thompson. He was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, and Rotary Club. He was a Royal Bank board director and a former EKW school board member.
Survivors include his wife, Jean of Elroy; his children, James (Patricia) of Cuba City, Wis., Mary Sue (Michael) McGroarty of St. Paul, Minn., Kurt (Jodeen) of Mequon, Wis., Michael (Eleanor) of Brisbane, Australia, Martha (Michael) Hussey of Columbus, Wis. and Patricia (Michael) Behan of Trempealeau, Wis.; 18 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and his sisters, Joanne (Robert) Schneider and Mary Jane (James) Ritter, and a brother-in-law, Jude (Joanne) Theibert, all of Sandusky.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Elroy, with Father Richard Dickman officiating. Burial will be in St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery in Wilton. Friends may call at the Picha Funeral Home in Elroy from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, with a KC Rosary at 7:30 p.m., and at the church from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday. For online information, go to www.pichafuneralhomes.com.
Special thanks to grandson Tom Hussey, Genny Cousineau, Maureen Kouba, and Marcia for their wonderful home care and to Dr. Brandi Strong for her diligent care.
