James Gustman

James R. Gustman passed away in Florida on 1/12/2011 at the age of 84 following a very brief illness. He was born on 11/6/1926 in Kaukauna, WI and remained a Fox Valley resident his entire life while spending his winters in Florida.

His parents were Helen Gustman (Hunt) and Arthur August Gustman. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sally A., two children- Jane Herring (Vance) and Margaret Keough (Richard) and four stepchildren- Julia Severson (John), Jill Hubert (Mark), Kirk Pottner (Susie), and Christopher Pottner. In addition, Mr. Gustman had 11 grandchildren- Alison and Melanie Herring, - Thomas, Paige, and Madeline Severson; Paul and Christopher Richards, Emily Jones, and Katy Hubert; and Laura and Rachel Pottner. He is also survived by two brothers, David C. (Mary) and Thomas P. (Suzy).

Mr. Gustman was an active member of The Boy Scouts of America in his younger years and graduated from Kaukauna High School at the age of 16, where he won multiple state competitions in oratory and debate. As a student at Lawrence University, he was an active member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and Debate Team; spending a summer honing his oratory skills at Northwestern University. After earning his BA of Science in Economics (class of 1948), he entered the United States Navy where he served on the USS Tidewater. He was very proud to be a life member of the VFW Post 9957 Flying Tigers under General Claire Chennault.

Mr. Gustman began working for his father at the Gustman Chevrolet dealership in Kaukauna in the 1940s, where he was later joined by his two brothers. His vision and dedication played an integral role in the expansion of the Gustman businesses. He loved the automobile business and continued to work with zest and passion his entire life, beginning with the formation of an automobile leasing and rental company (Midwest Car Corporation) in 1957. The first National Car Rental location opened in 1968 and later expanded to eleven additional states. In 2002, Midwest Car Corporation began the acquisition of Alamo franchises in all of its National locations. Over his lifetime, the Gustman dealerships expanded to five with the latest acquisition in 2004. Gustman companies employ 560 people.

He enjoyed membership in the local Elks Club, Knights of Columbus, Butte des Morts Country Club in Appleton (where he served multiple terms as President), and Turtle Creek Country Club in Tequesta, Florida. Jim was an original officer and board member of Air Wisconsin Corporation from its inception in 1968 and remained affiliated with the corporation for many years.

Besides being a Packer fanatic who enjoyed many playoff games and super bowls through the years, he was an avid golfer and fisherman. His travels brought him around the world and his generosity with his family allowed them to experience these adventures with him. He enjoyed his time with his grandchildren and they in turn were inspired by his life lessons.

The family of James Gustman would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Denis Murphy of Palm Beach for his graciousness and expertise throughout the last few weeks along with the outpouring of sympathy from our friends and family.

Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, January 25, at St. Bernard Parish (1617 W. Pine St. Appleton, WI). Visitation will be held from 9:00am- 11:00am with a mass immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorials donations can be directed to the Fox Valley Humane Society, American Cancer Society and Harbor House in Appleton.