John P. Klus Ph.D.

1935 - 2011

Klus, John P.

MADISON - "I lived until I died…" John Peter Klus, PhD (aka Buddy or Bapa) passed away peacefully on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011, after an unexpected illness. He was a strong, courageous and loving man, and his ending was truly a reflection of his wonderful life, being surrounded and supported by his close-knit loving family.

John was born June 13, 1935, in Armstrong Creek, Wis. This is where he not only spent his childhood, but much of his adult life, doing the things he loved the most, hunting and fishing! He also intensely loved his family and friends, and taught his children many important lessons, including the importance of treasuring those you love and making sure that they know how you feel about them. He had an incredibly full life, both personally and professionally. He enjoyed each moment of every day, starting the mornings overlooking "his" Lake, Monona. He was able to master the art of finding a way to balance both work and play, and found time to hunt or fish, every day. He loved to laugh, and looked at life with humor and optimism.

Professionally, he was incredibly accomplished, as a Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He got his start at Michigan Tech, where he received his BS in '57 and MS in '61, with service in the Army in between. He went on to earn his PhD in civil engineering at the UW in 1965. He embarked on his professional career at UW- Engineering Extension, where he started as an associate professor but went on to serve as department chair. In addition, he developed the Center for New Product Exploration which helped develop new products and businesses.

In the course of his career, he has received many national and international awards, including the Joseph Biedenbach Distinguished Service Award and the Certificate of Merit, both from the American Society for Engineering Education, the Leonardo daVinci Medal of the European Society of Engineering Education and two Fulbright Research awards. He worked extensively also for the University of Finland, Helsinki, where he received an Hononary Doctorate from Helsinki University of Technology for contributions to the field of continuing education, technology transfer, and new product development. He was a member of multiple international societies, as well as an author of numerous technical and educational publications. He cherished these opportunities and the life-long friendships he's made.

John held himself and others to the highest standards, and expected nothing less than excellence. He was a tremendous advocate of continuous life-long learning, and a champion of professional and personal development. He started a political group "Who is John Klus?" to draw attention to the importance of campaign finance reform. Most recently he began exploring the human brain and its' plasticity, actively researching and investigating new products and business applications in the area, which thrilled him, given the potential to improve other people's lives. He embraced new projects and challenges with contagious enthusiasm.

It was important to John, to "always leave a place better than the way you found it" - which is exactly how he lived… the world will not be the same without him in it.

John is survived by his wife, Geri; and his dog, Sam; his children and their families, Bev (Gregg), Jake, Max and Annie Fergus, Kathy (Rick) Carl, Lisa (Jeff) Kluslow, John (Sarah), Hunter, Jak and Maddie Klus; his three sisters, Lill, Mary and Kathy; his extended family and a wonderful group of dear friends and colleagues.

A private funeral service will be held in Armstrong Creek, and will be followed by the celebration of his life which will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Milford Hills Hunt Club, W5670 French Road, Johnson Creek, WI 53038, (920) 699-2249. This is a special place he loved, where we celebrated family!

Donations can be made to the John Klus Leopold Memorial Fund, c/o The Sand County Foundation, 16 N. Carroll St, Ste 450, Madison, WI 53703. He spent many years camping, fishing and hunting at the Aldo Leopold Reserve, on the Wisconsin River, a place for which he had a deep love. This love and respect for the land came from his father and he in turn passed it on to his children and grandchildren.

We love you Bapa, you will always be in our hearts…

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420

www.gundersonfh.com