Guenther G. Behre

1935 - 2023

Passed away peacefully into the loving arms of our Lord and Savior on April 30, 2023 at the age of 88 years.

Surviving Guenther are his dearly loved wife of sixty-four years, Virginia “Ginny” Marie Behre (née Link); daughters Debbie (Jim) Wozniak and Heidi Marie Behre; three grandchildren who were his pride and joy: Krista (JJ) Powers, Alex (Jackie) Wozniak, and Sondra Wozniak (fiancé Karl Edward) ; twin great-granddaughters, Penny and Gwen; sisters Renate Seitz and Karin (Steve) Haligas; sisters-in-law,  Janice (Bob) Link-Pitcel, Audrey Link, and Bonnie Link; and many nieces, nephews and friends, in both the United States and Germany.

He was preceded in death by his parents Adolf and Luise Behre and in-laws John and Katherine Link; brothers-in-law Jack Link, Harry Link, Paul Link, Donald Link, Rick Link, Frank Oakley, and Hans Seitz; and sister-in-law Margaret Link-Oakley.

Born April 7, 1935, in Grone-Göttingen, Germany, Guenther was the first child of Adolf and Luise Behre. In his early years he nurtured a love of playing Fußball for S.V. Göttingen, Germany, as well as a fascination with letters and words working as an apprentice Schriftsetzer (printer)...but his greatest love was still across the ocean. The Family Behre—Guenther, his parents, and two younger sisters—immigrated to the United States in June of 1953, arriving on the Neptunia to Ellis Island and traveling by train and car to Milton Junction, Wisconsin.

In that small midwestern village, a feisty, tomboyish nursing student caught Guenther’s eye and captured his heart. The pair took many long walks through the town, tearing apart sentences and verbs, Ginny helping her “Gun” slowly make sense of the many peculiarities of English spelling, grammar, and pronunciation. He loved words. And he loved Ginny. “G + G” were a hardworking pair from the get-go, spending countless hours helping the Behre family restore a 1905 neglected farmhouse with gingerbread trim, digging out the basement by hand, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow. Saturday nights were reserved for the nickel movie shows, projected on a white bed sheet down by the train station. Guenther and Ginny were also patient together, waiting to marry until Ginny’s 1957 graduation from nursing school, which at the time only awarded degrees to single women. They would have celebrated sixty-five years of marriage on May 31, 2023.

From their first days in America, Guenther and his cousin Horst played soccer, first for the Racine Soccer Club’s Major Team, who paid them with sandwiches and cash for gas which was collected from the spectators. The Milwaukee Bavarian Soccer Club recruited Guenther and Horst to play in the fall of 1954. Guenther went on to enjoy seventeen years as a player, player/coach, and manager for the Milwaukee Bavarian Majors, including seven consecutive state championships (1960‒66) and opportunities to play against both amateur and Bundesliga teams from Germany. After dislocating a knee during a game in 1970, he continued to play with the Old Timers and served his community in the soccer club as Vice President twice (1972‒87, 1999‒2006) and as President (1988‒98), accumulating a seven-decade history with the Milwaukee Bavarian S.C., where he could often be found wearing einen Trachtenhut (feathered cap), drinking ein Bier, and watching ein Fußballspiel (soccer game).

Guenther began his career with The Milton Courier as a compositor, meticulously setting type and placing letters in what was then eine Fremdsprache (foreign language): English. He was paid in cash on Fridays and kept only a dollar for himself, contributing the rest to his family. His exacting standards at work did not go unnoticed, and Guenther’s skills were soon sought by The Janesville Gazette. He became a typesetter for both publications, commuting to Janesville during the day and continuing work for The Courier in the evening until his first employer could hire a replacement for him. In 1956 at a Milwaukee Bavarian S.C. game, a conversation on the sidelines led Guenther to an interview and offer with the Milwaukee Journal, where he worked until his retirement in 1995, witnessing and participating in the radical technological shift from traditional hot metal typesetting to modern computer typography and desktop publishing.

America welcomed the Behre family with open arms and Guenther devoted himself to the ideals and ethos of his new country. He surrounded himself and his family with a Gemeinschaft (community) of friends. His daughters grew up on the grounds of the Milwaukee Bavarian S.C., where he cared for the fields before there was a field crew. His name now graces one of those fields, “The Guenther and Ginny Behre Academy Field.” He made use of his professional skills to design fliers and advertising for the club, and took particular joy in helping the game of soccer to grow in Wisconsin. In 1991, Guenther was awarded a place in the prestigious Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame, one of his greatest honors. He also volunteered at German Fest and Oktoberfest, sharing the customs and Kochen (cooking) of his ehemalige Heimat (erstwhile homeland) with his adopted homeland. As Guenther himself liked to say, he has friends from A to Z: “Apitz to Zaiss!”

A Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at St. Monica Catholic Church (5681 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Whitefish Bay, WI 53217) followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00pm. A private interment will take place by the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated to the “Guenther & Ginny Behre Scholarship & Player Fund” at the Bavarian United Soccer Club, Saint Monica Parish, or Relevant Radio.

(Be sure to wear your favorite Trachten or Bavarian S.C. spirit wear… So T.Z. and B.G. don't feel so all alone!)