Thomas Alan Jens

1942 - 2018

Thomas Alan Jens

Kiel, WI - Thomas Alan Jens, age 75, passed away on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, due to complications from a stroke. Tom was a special person, known by his family as "Papa Tom" but in business as "The Pizza Man," and will be missed by so many important family and friends.

Tom was born on May 25, 1942, to Elmer and Bernice (Baumann) Jens. They lived in New Holstein, WI, but celebrated life every summer at the Jens family cottage on Cedar Lake in Manitowoc County. He graduated from New Holstein High School in 1960, and then spent time at the University of Wisconsin - Stout and a meat cutting school in Ohio. His family included a sister, Barbara ("Barb"), and a brother, Richard ("Dick.")

Tom was married to Gail (Turkiewicz) Jens on April 9, 1994. They enjoyed many years of marriage, and he enjoyed being an important part of Gail's family. Tom and Gail made friends across the country by riding their Gold Wing motorcycles, and most recently a Gold Wing Trike, on treks from New Mexico, to North Carolina, to their favorite places in the UP of Michigan; they enjoyed thousands of miles together.

Tom was first married to Pamela Precourt in 1964. The Precourts were incredibly important people in his life. He met Pam, as they were summer lifeguards at the New Holstein community pool. They brought two sons into the world, and he adored them in every day of his life: Scott was born in 1966, and Eric in 1970.

In his youth, Tom was part of a tight-knit group of friends who created the waterskiing performance group, the Cedars' Skiers. His trademark skill was flying hundreds of feet off the water from a kite that he wore while skiing. His family loved to visit him at Cedar Lake to get his expert lessons in waterskiing. As he went through life, he became passionate about motorcycling and snowmobiling. He was also very interested in auto racing, from many summers visiting Road America to watching any form of racing on television.

One of Tom's iconic identifiers was his black 1964 Corvette Stingray. It was one of the family's cars for nearly thirty years before he sold it to his son's father-in-law, who restored it to like-new condition. After more than twenty years, his sons bought the Corvette back for him to enjoy. In July 2016, he drove it back from New Mexico by traversing the old Route 66, and he smiled widely the entire way.

Tom's legacy is found in his grandchildren. They fondly loved Papa Tom for how he spoiled them at every turn. His fun-loving nature, his laugh, his willingness to joke, and his ability to carry on a conversation with anyone he met. They taught him to love dance, youth sports, Disney, and especially cruises. And he taught them the power of performance with many special renditions of his favorite karaoke song, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

He is survived by his wife, Gail; son, Scott (Cheryl) of Madison and grandchildren Blake, Shay, and Bryn; son, Eric (Michelle) of New Holstein and grandchildren Hanna, Payton, and Zachary; sister, Barbara of New Holstein; brother, Richard (Carol) of Kiel; step-son, Brian (Janel) Turkiewicz of New Holstein and grandchildren Zander, Zoe, and Zara; step-son, Kevin (Katie) Turkiewicz of Green Bay and grandson, Ben; he also has many incredibly important nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

The family invites you to join them in a celebration of life on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at Sippel Funeral Home, 2618 Altona Avenue, New Holstein, Wisconsin 53061. A visitation will run from 10 am to 1 pm, with a brief service starting at 1 pm with Rev Bill Rishel presiding. Burial will immediately follow at the New Holstein Cemetery. Friends and family are also welcomed to a gathering at Altona Supper Club in New Holstein immediately following the service, where Papa Tom's life will be celebrated with, of course, pizza!

The family would like to thank the staff of St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay for their amazing care and support of Tom and his family. And, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in his memory be directed to the family for the American Diabetes Association.

We love you to the moon and back, Papa Tom!

For additional details, please contact the Sippel Funeral Home in New Holstein (920) 898-4300 or visit www.sippelfuneralhome.net.