James Herbert Kleinschmidt joined Jesus in Heaven on March 3, 2015, in Sun City West AZ. James was born to Herbert and Rose (Schult) at his grandmother’s house in the Town of Scott on January 15, 1934. Jim served in the US Army from 1955 to 1956. A longtime resident in the Town of Hamburg, James married the love of his life, Carol Mathwich, on May 25, 1957.
Besides Carol, he is survived by four children: Karman, Keith (Laura), Kirk and Kimberly (Geoffery Wyatt); grandchildren Annie and Samuel; his sister Joan (Merlin) Zahrt, and many cousins.
He served as a Rural Mail Carrier for the Hamburg/Athens Post Office for 36 years driving a 100+ mile route six days a week.
Jim was a lifetime member of St John’s Lutheran Church, Hamburg, where he served in numerous leadership positions, including President and Elder. Jim was a volunteer with the Hamburg Happy Hearts 4-H club and at Maple Grove School where he coached basketball and co-founded Monday Night Community Basketball. In Hamburg, he enjoyed woodworking, cutting firewood at the Kleinschmidt family homestead forty, making maple syrup, gardening, and bird watching. Throughout his life, Jim was an avid card player (with schafkopf the game of choice) and a Packers, Brewers and Bucks fan.
Jim built a cottage on Long Lake in Harrison Hills that was enjoyed by the family for years. After Jim and Carol moved to Arizona in 2000, the cottage became their summertime residence.
A victory celebration will be held in Arizona on March 28, 2015. Inurnment will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Athens, later in the year. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to St. John’s or plant a tree in Jim’s name.