John Christian Ehle

John C. Ehle died on September 8, 2023, in a care facility near Mequon, Wisconsin, after being in declining health for about five years. His survivors include spouse Rosemary Bell Ehle, sister Kathleen (Paul) Ehle Campbell, nephew Jonathon P. Ehle, aunts Elvina and Nancy Patterson, and Ehle and Patterson cousins. John was predeceased by his parents Rose Patterson Ehle and Claire O. Ehle, and his brother and best friend, Steve Ehle.

John was born on May 23, 1946, in Stoughton, WI to World War II Vet Claire Ehle and his wife Rose. He and his sister and brother shared an idyllic childhood in Evansville, where they reveled in the freedoms of small-town life. Together, Rose and Claire ran The Leader, a printing and advertising business. John and his siblings reminisced endlessly about the fun they had in Leota Park, the unique fragrance of the Leader office, their cats and dogs, neighborhood friends, memories of their first home on Lake Kegonsa (“the Castle”), and their father’s summer crops of tomatoes and sweet corn. John had an amazing memory, even when he was unwell, and he and his sister never ran out of things to remember together with joy and gratitude.

John was a gifted athlete and at Evansville High School, he lettered in basketball, football, and track and was on the golf team; he graduated in 1964. At the University of Wisconsin John flourished socially. With the kind mentorship of John Antes, John graduated in the early 1970s and joined the Teacher Corps. His first teaching stint, in Melrose, was revelatory. He loved kids but concluded that school administration would suit him better, and for the rest of his career he held superintendent, vice principal, and curriculum & instruction positions in several school districts--first in Beloit and then around Milwaukee, including Cedarburg, Greenfield, and Oak Creek. Returning to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1970s, John earned a Master’s in Education Administration and completed the coursework for a Ph.D. He also had a wedding photography business for many years.

John’s interests included photography, golf, and literature.  His love of golf and photography merged when he took the photographs for Wisconsin touring pro Steve Stricker’s book, “The Proof Is in the Putting.” John was very interested in US history, especially the Civil War. He loved gardening and the historic stone home that he and Rosemary shared in Mequon.

John never lost his love for Evansville and he returned often to see friends and family. In the 1990s-early 2000s John conducted roundtable discussions with veterans from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, with Evansville farmers and farm wives, with people who attended or taught at area one-room schools, and with people who had worked for Baker Manufacturing Company in Evansville. John took the current-day photographs of historic Evansville homes and businesses for a “Then & Now” book, “Evansville,” written by Evansville historian Ruth Ann Montgomery and published in 2010.

There will be no formal memorial service for John, but please take a moment to remember a good time you had with John.

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