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John Birkholz Obituary
John Robert Birkholz of Cedarburg, Wisconsin died on July 9, 2020 at the age of 87 from natural causes. At John's request no services will be held.
John was born on April 11, 1933 in Antigo, Wisconsin, the son of the late Frank "Grumpy" and Elinore (Hanson) Birkholz. He grew up on the island in Minocqua, Wisconsin where he and his family built a log cabin. In his later years, John and his wife Maryann settled in Cedarburg, Wisconsin where he was an active member of the community.
He was a visionary leader and educator. Over his almost 50 year career, John served as President for Harper College, Erie Community College, Gateway Technical College, and finally Milwaukee Area Technical College where he retired in 2001.
John was a devoted husband to Maryann, caring for her until her death in 2018. He was a proud father of four children and wise grandfather to nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is survived by his sister Elinore Jane Jacobsen; children: Barry (JoAnn) Birkholz; Peter (Soo Zee Park) Birkholz; Suzy (Peter) Maniak; and John (Jennifer Barr) Birkholz; grandchildren: Julie (Radboud Reijn) Birkholz, BJ Birkholz, Sarah Birkholz, Eric Birkholz; Emme Birkholz, Lily Birkholz; Robert (Gina) Maniak, Anna Maniak; and Lucius Birkholz; and great-grandchildren; Caius and Alba Reijn. John is preceded in death by his parents, wife Maryann Grace Birkholz and sisters Rosemary Shaney and Barbara Patrick.
Memorials in his name can be directed to the Cedarburg Public Library, W63 N589 Hanover Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012.
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Memories and Condolences
for John Birkholz
Sponsored by Mueller Funeral Homes - Cedarburg.
4 Entries
Heidi
August 4, 2020
I had the honor to meet John during the last chapter of his life. Although he was a man of few words, I truly enjoyed all my visits with him. I am so grateful I was able to meet him.
Dominic
July 19, 2020
I worked at MATC Milwaukee when "Dr. B" was president there. He had a hard job and did some good things for MATC & its students. May his loved ones be blessed at this time of grief, in the knowledge that he made many contributions to the WI Voc-Tech. I also took a class on the History of the WI Voc Tech system from him & learned a lot of history from him. He had many connections and experiences that helped him forge improvements.
George Dorner
July 16, 2020
John was my first "boss" in academia, an unusual introduction which I later treasured for his understanding and unusual approach to academic issues. The stories we could tell...
John Muchmore
July 15, 2020
I had the good fortune to work with John for a ten year period. He was a dedicated educator and worked tirelessly in that role.
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Mueller Funeral Homes - CedarburgW63 N527 Hanover Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012
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