James Fromstein

James, known as Jim, was predeceased by his wife, the former Ruth Grafman. They had been married for 66 years. Jim was also a beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend.

He grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood, where he worked on the high school newspaper, played multiple sports and began a lifelong affiliation with Congregation Emanuel-El B’Ne Jeshurun. He and Ruth met in 1952, when they were both freshmen students at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Although Jim loved journalism, he specialized in advertising because he did not want to rely on a reporter’s salary.

Jim and Ruth were married the day after their college graduation in 1956 and immediately moved to North Carolina, where he was stationed as an Army private first class. They later relocated to Milwaukee, where he joined his older brother Mitchell in Fromstein Associates, an advertising and public relations agency. Jim took particular satisfaction in promoting innovative products and services at the time which have since been absorbed into the culture – headphones by Koss Stereophones, a forerunner of ATM systems called CashPlus, and the then-newly formed Milwaukee Bucks basketball team.

The brothers later closed the agency and became executives at the Manpower temporary help company, where they remained until retirement. Jim, a senior vice president at the company, took particular pride in publicizing Manpower’s employment surveys, which were highly respected, drew considerable media attention and are still considered credible measures of employment trends. Although the firm was based in Milwaukee, its wide international reach led Jim to travel extensively in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Jim had many other active pursuits beyond business. He enjoyed sports both as a participant and a fan. He loved playing golf, which he began in his youth and stopped only in his latest years for health reasons. He played numerous courses across the country and even in Europe, as evidenced by his scrapbook of scorecards. Nothing brought him more joy as a spectator than victories by Wisconsin’s pro sports teams and Northwestern’s Wildcats.

Sports were one way he and Ruth kept active ties to their alma mater. They frequently attended Northwestern reunions, held season tickets to NU football games and delighted in marching in the graduation procession at their 50th reunion.

Jim and Ruth shared many hobbies, including listening to music (especially jazz, classical and folk) in person and at home, and attending many art shows and exhibits. He had an early affinity for photography, with a home darkroom and lots of equipment, and kept some of his black-and-white photos on display in his home. Jim and Ruth shared a deep appreciation for Jewish life. Jim was active in the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, Milwaukee Jewish Council and Milwaukee Jewish Federation and held leadership positions at his congregation in Milwaukee. He was also a member of Temple Emanuel of Maryland.

Survivors include his daughter Mollie Fromstein (Jeffrey) Katz of Bethesda, Maryland; son Richard (Raleigh) Fromstein of Golden Valley, Minnesota; granddaughters Mari Fromstein of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Emily Katz (Eitan) Sayag of Washington, D.C., Elisha Fromstein of Boston, Massachusetts, and Julia Fromstein of Golden Valley, Minnesota; grandson Benjamin Katz of North Bethesda, Md.; and brother-in-law and close friend Stephen (Marilyn) Grafman of Potomac, Maryland.

The family requests that contributions in Jim’s name be made to one of two similarly-named congregations that occupied such an important part of his life – Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun of River Hills, Wisconsin, or Temple Emanuel of Kensington, Maryland.

A funeral service will be held at the Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park, located at 14321 Comus Rd, Clarksburg, MD, 20871, United States. The service is scheduled for November 24, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.