John R. Moquin

Age 92, of Brookfield, WI, died peacefully with his family at his side on Thursday, December 12, 2024.
Reception of remembrance and Funeral Mass are scheduled at Saint Dominic Catholic Church in Brookfield on January 11, 2025, at 11:00am with visitation to begin at 10:00 am.
John was born and raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He began his formal business education after high school graduation from St. Mary's Springs Academy in Fond du Lac, interrupted by two years serving in the Army beginning in 1953. Upon his honorable discharge, he completed his business degree at St. Norbert's College in Green Bay and then immediately accepted a position with the Internal Revenue Service. John was known for his attention to detail and his integrity, remaining with the IRS for his entire career. His coworkers and friends appreciated his ability to tell a good joke and laugh along at the punchline.
John met his wife, Rosemary Braig, through their older sisters, who attended the same nursing school as Rosemary. On September 8, 1956, John and Rosemary were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson, WI. After honeymooning at Niagra Falls, they made their first home together in an apartment in Green Bay, where John was attending St. Norbert College. It was there where they welcomed their first daughter, Mary Ann, and where John graduated in 1958. After a short move to Milwaukee, John settled his growing family in Sheboygan. He and Rosemary soon built a home where they went on to raise a total of 6 children.
The Moquin home was full of fun and ordered with structure. John was an early DIY expert and taught his children to be his helpers. They held lumber for cutting fence rails, got sunburned painting the white garage during the summer, and took turns fetching tools from the basement workshop pegboard. To this day, his daughters will recall the smell of freshly cut planks, how to identify a nailset and select the right pliers for cutting wire. John also had a soft side and would line up his children on Saturday nights for baths, hair combing, and nail trimming in preparation for Sunday Mass.
John was a devout Catholic with a particular devotion to Our Blessed Mother, Mary. He was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and a Vincentian. One of his favorite post-retirement activities with St. Vincent de Paul was handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to children at a park in Waukesha during the summer. Another activity he enjoyed was tossing tootsie rolls with the Knights of Columbus at local events and parades. In his last years, when he could no longer drive and his mobility was declining, he enjoyed listening to his jazz albums and watching either a Packer game or a favorite oldie from his vast video collection with family at his side.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Walter E. and Nora (Haensgen) Moquin, his older sister, Kathryn La Croix, and his only son, Robert John. John is survived by his sister Mary Pesch, his wife of 68 years, Rosemary, and five daughters, Mary Ann, Margaret, Judy Shownkeen, Jeanne Gibson (Ernest), and Martha Nitschke. He will be missed by his grandchildren Joshua (Amanda), Ernest John (Julia), David, Caroline, Catherine, Nora, and Sara, and great-grandchildren Isla, Lennon, and Samuel.
The Moquin family would like to express their deepest thanks to the staff of CareAge and Allay Hospice for their very personal care and companionship.
Please donate to a St Vincent de Paul in your community in lieu of flowers.