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Sasse, John Raymond

John Raymond Sasse, age 66, of Fremont left this world courageously and quietly, accepting that he had lost his final battle with pancreatic cancer.

John was born on Halloween, October 31, 1951 in New London, to Angela (Wendt) and the late Raymond Sasse. After high school, while continuing to help his dad and grandfather on the original Sasse farm, which has been in the family for 142 years, he worked at several jobs, including Silverfield Cheese, Fremont; Churny Cheese, Weyauwega; Gitter’s Butcher Shop, Poy Sippi and Oshkosh Truck. He took welding classes at Fox Valley Technical School, which helped with fixing equipment on the farm, and auto mechanic classes which were useful at Kellet’s Motor’s near Oshkosh. Deciding that farming was “in his blood”, he bought the farm from his parents in 1992, continuing to milk the Brown Swiss herd for another eight years. He then spent another 18 years raising beef cattle while working third shift at Oshkosh Coil Spring, retiring from OCS this spring. After 2 ½ years fighting cancer, his illness regretfully forced him into early retirement from beef farming, as well. In John’s earlier years, he enjoyed bowling, and hunting squirrels and rabbits with his dogs; coon hunting with his buddies, Art and Les; deer hunting in his own woods, and duck hunting and fishing on Lake Poygan. He truly enjoyed being outdoors–caring for his cattle, driving tractor and going to farm auctions. He always loved all animals, but was especially fond of all of his labs over the years, and really loved his snuggly cats, who were both company and a comfort to him during his final days. He shared many of his interests in antique tractor pulls, county fairs, eating out, dancing, and going to movies (especially scary ones) with his loving companion of 12 years, Rosie, who he met at a Small Town Singles Club in Bean City.

John is survived by his mother, Angela, Crossorads Care Center, Weyauwega; two sisters, Kathryn (Frank) Martin, Racine and Patricia (Bill) Marks, Waupaca; his very special loving companion, Rosemary Rhoden, New London; a niece, Debra Friere; great-niece, Gabriana, great-nephew, Julien, all of Miami; lots of loving and caring cousins; his awesome friends, Art, Ron, Greg, and OCS buddy, Paul, all who helped the family keep the farm going, and finally, a host of generous and caring relatives, friends and neighbors who reached out with kind gestures of help and words of comfort for the whole family.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 10, 2108 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church. Pastor Stephen Pope will officiate. Burial will immediately follow at Wolf River Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until the time of service. John was a country guy, most comfortable in jeans, boots, tees and sweatshirts with Coca Cola, 3 Stooges, trucks and tractor insignias; and his family asks you to join them at the memorial service and gathering dressed in a similar casual fashion. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your favorite animal shelter, ThedaCare Hospice Care, American Cancer Society or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The Lewin Funeral Home, Fremont assisted the family with arrangements.

John’s family is truly gracious to Pastor Pope for his frequent visits, and to the cooperating teams of Dr. Philipps, Dr. Chang, NP Hansen, and Dr. Hubbard, along with their staff at ThedaCare Hematology and Oncology, ThedaCare Hospitals in both Appleton and Waupaca; Mayo Clinic, MN for joining together to try to help John beat this disease, but God saw him getting tired, a cure not meant to be, so he put his arms around him and whispered…Come with Me. Waupaca’s ThedaCare Hospice team of highly skilled and truly compassionate “Angels of God” were a tremendous support for the family every step during John’s final days. We can never really thank all of these caregivers enough for being there for us.

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