After graduating from Brandon High School John served in the Pacific with the U.S. Marines for three years. John attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he met and married Joan Newbury on Sept. 18, 1961.

John and Joan enjoyed mountain climbing and white water canoeing across North America. John taught high school Chemistry in Cambria, WI, and at Madison Central and LaFollette High Schools, retiring in 1996. In 1984 the couple purchased a farm in Cottage Grove, WI, where they raised produce and made jams and pickles. They sold their products at local farmers markets and John served as a board member and Board President of the Dane County Farmers Market.

John is survived by his wife Joan; and eight children; twelve grandchildren; and two sisters. John was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services will be held Friday, November 25, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home in Waupun. Burial will take place at a later date.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Madison.com on Nov. 15, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for John Oosterwyk

Sponsored by Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home - Waupun.

8 Entries

Christopher Kox

November 6, 2024

On the morning after what may be a turning point in American national affairs, it is best to recall the generosity and grace, the optimism and faith, of John Oosterwyk as we transit this all too short a life. May God bless us all, everyone.

Christopher Kox

November 6, 2023

I recall the Oosterwyck family on Waubesa street nearly half a century ago. They were bright, energetic, and a very loving family. They brought hiking and camping equipment into the shoe repair shop where I then worked -- these being tokens of a family united in their activity. Their young daughter told me about their Christianity, which I pocketed as inspiration for a day many years later in my life when I saw the real value in community. I had no contact, and still do not, but recently in writing about my home town, I found that John and the family had done so much with farming and anchoring the Farmer's market in Madison. I was not surprised, this being the outcome of their devotion to one another and to the value of work. As this obituary attests, John was a fine man, a devoted family man, and a gift to his students and to the community. My prayers go out as I sing hallelujah.

Christopher Kox, San Francisco, CA

December 11, 2022

I learned a great deal about grace and justice, largely by the fine example of John and his entire family, who resided near my workplace on Atwood and Waubesa in the early 1970s. They were a young couple then, often taking their sporting equipment, as well as repairs for the children, to the shoe repair shop where I then worked. They were handsome, as were the children, and they were a model of seeming contentment. This shows in the photo above, looking much as then, only grey, but with a smile and vision of greater good twinkling in the eye. I am listening to choral hymns now, in this season, and they are fitting of memory. May God bless and embrace the family, as too embracing John in eternity. Bless him, bless the family.

Mo Hansen ("Morty")

November 19, 2022

Much respect for John, Joan and whole clan over the decades. "Death ends a life, not a relationship." May peace be with you all. Rest in peace, Mr. O!

-Mo Hansen
(Annie's high school classmate)

Debra Moll Class of `69

November 16, 2022

Condolences to the family. One of my favorite teachers at Madison Central High School. Although he required me to pay up for the accidentally broken graduated cylinders, I still loved him.
Rest In Peace, Mr O!

ron cotter

November 15, 2022

On a mission trip to Mexico, when we weren't working we would spend a little time playing Euchre. There were often three John's at the table so we had to make a distinction between their names. John O was the elder so he became First John. We had some good laughs and shared some life experiences. He was a good man and I always enjoyed our conversations.
To Quote a song "Go rest high on that mountain; Son your work on earth is done"
WELL DONE JOHN !

Rene Christesen

November 15, 2022

I had Mr. O (as I called him) as my Chemistry teacher. He taught me a lot not only about science, but also about faith and perseverance. He allowed me to vent about things at home, and in some ways, he was seen as my father's stand in conversation wise. Even 50 years later, I can recall our conversations.
Mr. O was an excellent teacher, his eyes would glimmer when he spoke of his family, and he made a difference for many.
May all the memories you made, bring you peace in the days ahead. He is and always will be, within you.

Lynne Hettrick

November 15, 2022

Mr. Oosterwyk was my chemistry teacher at LaFollette in the 70s. My class was made up of mostly boys. I was more into biology and ecology than chemistry, but his methods of teaching made it easier for me to learn. He knew that I had great anxiety during every testing phase, thinking I would flunk and bring my grand point average down. When he walked around the room handing back our tests, he turned them over on our desks without saying a word. When he came to my desk, he would say "you did okay for a girl" with a wink or a rye smile because my tests repeatedly had the highest score of the entire class. When the boys kept hearing that phrase, they would sigh or moan realizing once again, a girl did better than they did. Decades later, when I saw Mr. O at a farmers market, I thought there's no way he could possibly remember me with all the students he had had over the years. But he did. We had a nice talk and as I walked away he said Oh by the way, you did okay for a girl.
I am so sorry for your loss.

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