Frederick Peter Wessel

Frederick Peter Wessel

Frederick Peter Wessel ("Fred"), 83, passed away peacefully at his home in De Pere, WI, on Friday, September 12, 2025, surrounded by family.

Fred was born on December 27, 1941, in St Louis, MO, a son of the late Peter John Wessel and Frieda Franceska Wessel (née Buss). He grew up on the North Shore of Chicago and attended Palatine High School. Fred was very close to his older brother, the late Warren Robert Wessel, who taught him how to repair cars. As a teenager, Fred was among the earliest to travel the ALCAN Highway during a summer trip to Alaska with his classmates and their intrepid history teacher, "Sarge."

After high school, Fred attended Marquette University, then transferred to the University of Colorado Boulder to earn a bachelor’s degree and pursue his love of the outdoors and alpine skiing. While in Colorado, Fred made lifelong friends and served as a ski patrol at Loveland Valley Ski Area.

After university, Fred lived and studied in Germany, travelling throughout Europe and becoming fluent in German. Upon returning to the States, he completed a teaching certificate and taught German at Barrington High School. During this time, Fred met Lois Diane Sokol (Freehold, NJ) who was teaching art in Cary, IL. After a lengthy and traditional courtship, the couple married on June 15, 1968.

Once the newlyweds' son, Jason, was born, Fred decided to change careers, so he enrolled in film school at Columbia College in Chicago. After a brief stint as a cab driver, Fred worked nights at Black Dot Group until he graduated from Columbia with a master’s degree.

In the fall of 1972, Fred accepted a short-term contract job with public television (WPNE-TV) at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, so the young family moved to De Pere, WI. Soon after, their second son, Erik, was born. Fred’s contract transitioned into a regular job, and he worked for WPNE-TV until 1986. During this time, Fred wore various hats (Director, Producer, Writer, Film Editor, etc.) to develop programming for public television. Notably, he directed the groundbreaking educational series The Inside Story with Slim Goodbody.

After Fred left public television, he started his own successful film production business in Milwaukee ("Wessel Productions"), moving the family to Cedarburg, WI. Around 2003, Fred dissolved his business and returned to public television, this time in Madison, WI. In 2005, he directed Earth Day and Beyond: Gaylord Nelson's Good Fight, an acclaimed documentary on the Wisconsin Governor, Senator, and environmentalist who founded Earth Day.

In 2011, Fred and Lois moved back to De Pere. During retirement, Fred focused on the things he loved most: family and friends; traveling with Lois (Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America); and taking annual ski trips with his sons to Colorado, Utah, and Montana.

Frederick Peter Wessel was an independent, optimistic, and selfless individual who, above all else, loved the people in his life. Fred will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife, Lois Diane Wessel (nee Sokol); his son, Jason Aaron Wessel (Celia Benton); and grandson, Harold Lowell Wessel; his son, Erik Jordan Wessel (Bridget Bloom); his sisters, Deloris Marie Wessel Criswell and Carolyn Bernice Wessel Priest; and his beloved nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at a later date.

Cotter Funeral Home and Cremation Care in De Pere, WI is assisting the family.