Aubrey R. Fowler Jr.

1935 - 2024

Aubrey R. Fowler, Jr.

September 4, 1935 - November 2, 2024

MADISON - Aubrey R. Fowler Jr., age 89, passed away on November 2 at Oakwood Village in Madison. He was born on September 4, 1935, the son of Aubrey R. Fowler Sr. and Irene Fowler in Neenah, Wis.

Aubrey was active in the Boys Brigade in Neenah, a community center for youth since 1900. He was fortunate to travel with the Brigade to Europe, which was a frequently-talked-about trip of a lifetime.

Aubrey also enjoyed the challenges and exhilaration of ice boating in his high school years, traveling at over 100 mph mere inches from the ice of Fox River Valley lakes.

After graduating from Neenah High School in 1953, Aubrey attended the University of Wisconsin- Madison as a Business major. As a freshman, Aubrey met his future bride, Mary Lou Benson, in a classroom in Science Hall, a historic building at the base of Bascom Hall. They married two months after graduation on August 17, 1957. They were married for 56 years, until Mary passed away on October 16, 2013.

Aubrey entered the University of Wisconsin Law School the fall of 1957, while Mary taught second grade at Lapham School. After graduating from Law School in 1960, Aubrey joined the Army as an officer. After Basic Training he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, as a Lieutenant. Baby Denise made the move south with her parents. Aubrey quickly became a Captain responsible for 40 men including four sergeants and one lieutenant officer. On long and short marches most Captains marched in front with their platoon 10% of the time, usually choosing instead to ride alongside in a jeep. Aubrey marched with his men 100% of the time, showing his dedication to positive inclusive leadership.

Upon completion of his three-year service in 1963, Aubrey went to work for a large law firm in Madison. By this time, they had a son, Brian, and another daughter, Diane. Shortly thereafter, Aubrey opened his own practice, Fowler Law Firm. He practiced Estate Planning law for 56 years until he retired in 2019.

Aubrey was extremely active in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison. He served on the Church Council for years as well as many committees including on every Building Committee for the Church's Madison Campus. Aubrey was a founding director and faithfully served on the Church Foundation Board since its inception for 32 years until he was appointed Director Emeritus and retired from the Board in 2019.

Family was always a priority for Aubrey. Although he worked long hours during the week, weekends were for family time. This included swimming, boating, traveling, and spending time at their Lake Wisconsin house during the summer months... skiing and ice skating in the winter months.

Aubrey absolutely loved children... so he felt blessed to have two daughters and a son as well as cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When children were around you could usually find Aubrey on the floor playing with them.

Staying active his entire life, Aubrey ran five miles three times per week to stay in shape... winter or summer! He also enjoyed swimming at Ridgewood Pool two blocks from the house a couple times per week after work in the summer.

Aubrey enjoyed traveling with his family... ski trips in the winter... to Biloxi, Miss., every Spring Break... and several weekend trips during the summer including canoeing down the Crystal River in Waupaca, Wis., every year. After the children grew up, Aubrey and Mary enjoyed road trips to every single state in the country including Hawaii and Alaska! They also took four extended group trips to several European countries.

Aubrey loved attending Badger Home Football games with Mary. He was a Badger Fan forever! Residents at Oakwood Village loved seeing Aubrey around the Oakwood campus, almost always dressed in red and white Badger gear!

Aubrey is survived by daughters, Denise (Gary) Schyvinch and Diane (Scott) Yttri; grandchildren, Amy Koenig (Josh Marten), Ben (Nicole) Raboine, Chrissy (Quinn) Huettner, Madi (Andrew) Baldwin, Finn Yttri, Katie (Ryan) Richert, and Kurt (Jenny) Schyvinch; great-grandchildren, Jacelynn, Aubrey and Austin Koenig, Allison and Markus Zwiefel, Abram Raboine, Barrett Baldwin, and Rayha, Rachel and Ross Richert; and sister, Nancy (Bob) McMillan. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; son, Brian; son- in-law, David Raboine; and brother-in-law, Jerry (Jennie) Benson.

A wake will be held on Friday, November 22, from 4 to 6 p.m.; visitation on Saturday, November 23, at 10 a.m. until the funeral service at 11 a.m., with a luncheon following at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Road, Madison. The service can also be streamed live using the following link: gslcwi.com/fowler.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Aubrey's name to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Foundation, 5701 Raymond Road, Madison, WI 53711; the UW Carbone Cancer Center, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792; or the charity of one's choice.

The family is incredibly grateful for the care and support for Aubrey during his five-year stay at Oakwood Village, as well as the attentive care by the staff of Agrace Hospice Care for the last year.