James "Jim" Franke

Jim R. Franke, age 71 of Ashippun, WI, unexpectedly passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2019 surrounded by family. He leaves behind his loving wife of 47 years, Shari (Southcott), his children Kirsten (Dave) Stilke of Elkhorn WI and Kim (Scott) Johns of Centennial, CO. Jim is survived by his adoring grandchildren; Mason Stilke and Noah and Zoe Johns. He is further survived by his sister Mary Lee (Jim) Matthes, his sister in law, Sandy Solheim and Brother in law; Gary (Jill) Southcott. Along with many other cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends. Jim was proceeded in death by his parents Ruben and Meta (Braunshcweig) Franke, Roy and Carol Southcott, and his loving granddaughter Livia Grace Stilke. Jim was a lifetime resident of Ashippun WI and often joked that he had the same zip code his entire life. He and Shari raised their girls in the town he was so dedicated to. Jim was a volunteer fire fighter for the Ashippun Fire Department for well over 30 years. His dedication to the fire department was evident as he was Fire Chief for 17 of those years. He was the past president of the WI State Fire Chief’s Association. He pursued a career in sales, selling Industrial/agricultural equipment eventually leading him into the retail market. He loved sales; meeting new people, and would impress us all with having each of his contacts numbers memorized. The relationships he made were not only customers to Jim, but lifelong friends. Jim loved his family and friends more than anything. They will always remember his incredible laugh and eagerness to have fun! His motto with the Fire Department and in life was; “We work hard, but we play harder”. Jim was passionate in his role as current President for the Ashippun Lions Club. He was a devoted parishioner of Zion Lutheran Church in Ashippun. He enjoyed golfing, playing Eucher and Sheepshead with buddies, his Kubota tractor and of course the Green Bay Packers. However, Jim’s primary passion was his family. That was evident every single day. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Thursday, May 16th at Zion Lutheran Church in Ashippun, WI. Visitation will be held from 1 PM – 5 PM, with a service to follow at 5 PM.