James George Westphal
James George Westphal, 78, of Fond du Lac, passed away on April 20, 2024, at St. Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, after a brief battle with cancer. He was born November 15, 1945, in Fond du Lac to Harold and Virginia (Kuehn) Westphal.
Jim graduated from Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac in 1964 and served as vice president of his class. He attended UW-Oshkosh for a year and was then drafted. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in October 1965 and served in the Vietnam War until he was honorably discharged after four years of service. He was awarded 5 medals of honor: National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; Air Force Good Conduct Medal; and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
After the war he graduated from the Metropolitan College of Business & Technology in Milwaukee.
After college Jim settled on a career in the agriculture manufacturing industry at Damrow Company in Fond du Lac, now known as Tetra Pak, joining his dad, Harold. They worked together for many years. Jim held numerous roles and titles over the years, and eventually retired in 2011.
He was introduced to the love of his life, Mary Maniatis, in the 10th grade and began a courtship that continued through high school. Mary waited for Jim as he served his country during the Vietnam conflict and then college. They were united in marriage at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on October 3, 1970. Jim and Mary celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary together this past fall.
Jim was a member of Holy Family Parish and attended Sacred Heart Church where he served on the parish council. He was also a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus (Council #664). Jim and Mary bowled together in the Sacred Heart bowling league, and he was an
avid golfer – participating in a men’s business league for many years. He and his son, Jason, spent countless hours attending Packers, Badgers and Brewers games together and discussing the pre-game and post-game details at length.
Jim will be dearly missed by his wife Mary (Maniatis) Westphal of Fond du Lac; son Jason (Paula) Westphal of Deforest, WI, and his 3 granddaughters: Gabrielle of Washington DC, and twins Grace of Ames, IA, and Ella of Eau Claire, WI, as well as grand dogs, “Toots” and “Kai”. He is further survived by two brothers, Richard (Dick) Westphal and wife Mary of Waukesha, and Michael Westphal of Dallas, TX; one sister-in-law Roberta Westphal of Appleton; nieces; nephews; other relatives; and many friends.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Virginia, his brother Robert (Bob) Westphal, a nephew, Danny Westphal, and his in-laws, Evelyn (Schingen) and George Maniatis.
Visitation will be held from 9 to 11 am on Friday, May 10, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 271 Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac, followed by mass at 11:00 am.
The Westphal family would like to thank the tireless team of St. Agnes Hospice Care attendees for their incredible care during Jim’s brief and difficult health journey. And many thanks to the nurses and doctors of St. Agnes Hospital who worked closely with the family and became close confidants throughout this time.
Jim was a loving and caring husband, father, and grandfather, and he was a friend to everyone he knew. He especially loved spending time with his 3 beautiful granddaughters.