Jeremy Monnett

1974 - 2015

Monnett, Jeremy

Oshkosh lost one of its finest young leaders, community contributors and all-around great guys with the passing of Jeremy Trent Monnett. A lover of family, life & community, he is survived by his wife Kate (Cotter), their two sons, Miles & Brooks, his parents, John & Betty Monnett, all of Oshkosh, his brothers John (Terri) Monnett III of LaCrosse and his twin Jason (Jaimie) Monnett of Oshkosh, Parents-In-Law Kerry and Tom Christopher of Waukesha, Mike & DeLoma Cotter of Fond du Lac, brothers in law Dan Cotter and his beloved Ruth Zimmerman, Tim Cotter and his fiancé Sam Green,step in-laws Courtney & Aleta Schultz and Eric and Scott (Jodi) Christopher. His nephews & niece: Calvin & Juliet Monnett of Oshkosh, John Monnett IV of LaCrosse and nephew Ryan McWane of Oshkosh. He is also survived by numerous beloved Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. He loved all of his family so much: Shirks, Monnetts, Diedrichs, Cotters, Sheahan & Christophers.

Jeremy loved being a father. His family was his life. He and Kate lived and loved with such a great passion and zeal. Kate, Miles and Brooks will be his legacy always- as will all that have been touched by him.

Jeremy was born June 12, 1974 in Elgin, IL with a collapsed lung and spent his initial days in intensive care- exhibiting his toughness at a tender age. He also exhibited his adventurous spirit early on in life. He climbed up on the roof of the family's Elgin, IL home at age 4 following his dad up the ladder and interrupting Dad's work with a "what ya doin' Dad?"

Aviation brought the Monnett family to Oshkosh in 1981. Jeremy's formative years led him to a passion for singing, dancing, running, and then aviation. Participation in Odyssey of the mind laid the groundwork for his engineering interests. He helped restore an Aeronca L3 Warbird Aircraft with his dad while in high school, stoking the passion for aviation that would later define his career.

He spent five glorious years on the campus of UW Madison earning his mechanical engineering degree, making many friends from far and wide and of course becoming a huge Badger fan. While in college, he interned for a summer in Detroit for General Motors- and begin to realize that working for corporate America was not in his plan.

Upon college graduation, he moved to Seattle to work for the Boeing Company. He worked remotely assisting in the early stages of Sonex, establishing the website and helping respond to early builder inquiries via email. While with Boeing, he had the opportunity to visit China, Japan and Australia- and he fondly recounted those trips over the years-- including the wishes he made in a Chinese fountain--- that he would help Sonex become successful and find and marry the woman of his dreams. While he enjoyed Seattle and made many new friends-- in 1998 he returned to Oshkosh to work at developing Sonex full-time.

Upon his return, Jeremy did help guide Sonex to prosperity. He began as general manager and grew into designing his own model - the Onex- with the helpful input of his father and Pete Buck.

He also became an incredibly active and impactful member of the community-and was a tireless champion of many causes. He began as President of the Oshkosh Jaycees, Member of the Chamber Aviation Committee, then involvement with Progress Oshkosh and the light the bridges campaign, Chairmanship of the Christine Anne Domestic Abuse Center Board, service on the Chamco and in formation of the Greater Oshkosh EDC. In these capacities, he gained many valued friendships and admirers. He was a cheerleader and an advocate for Oshkosh and his leadership in many areas will be missed. He was honored as a 4 under 40 recipient by the Oshkosh Northwestern. He was also a national advocate and participant in the home built aircraft industry: a young leader in that movement that he was so passionate about.

....And he did meet the love of his life!!!!! His love for Kate was so strong and undeniable. From the first Jaycees meeting Kate attended, Jeremy knew she was the one he was going to marry. When on their first date four years later, driving home Kate said to Jeremy: "This sucks. I'm never gonna date anyone else again." They were engaged on St Patrick's Day 2006-- less than eight months after they started dating. They were married on March 24, 2007.

Through his organ & tissue donation, Jeremy gave the precious gift of prolonged life to as many as 50 people. Please enroll as an organ & tissue donor TODAY.

A memorial service and celebration of Jeremy's life will be held Sunday, June 7 in the Eagle Hangar of the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh. Public visitation will be from 10:00am to 2:00pm, followed by a Service and Reception. In Lieu of Flowers, the family has established a memorial.

To Dear Jeremy from Kate,

Thank you for loving me and making me feel like the most important, beautiful person on Earth. I will forever miss your constant hugs, kisses and: "I have such a hot wife" up to 10 times a day. I will do my best to raise Miles and Brooks without you. You were the best Dad! They are young, but your legacy will always be remembered. They were both doing 'the monkey' this morning but it will never be as great as yours.

Your loving wife, Kate