John P. Renken, 78, of the Town of Pine River, Lincoln County, passed away Thursday, March 7, 2019. John was born August 20, 1940 son of the late Ulrich and Adela (Dengel) Renken. He married Barbara A. Breunig on January 10, 1959. She preceded him in death on February 14, 2019. Barbara and John dairy farmed in the Town of Pine River. He had won several Farming Achievement Awards, and attended Farm Training Classes through the NCTI. John had also worked at Weinbrenner Shoe Co. and Iattoni & Sons Masonry. John was instrumental in the development of the Town of Pine River Volunteer Fire Department.He enjoyed playing and watching football and was a Green Bay Packers fan. He was a member of the Merrill Silver “M” Club and had received a Golden “M” as well. John was also a member of the Houndsmen’s Association. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, spending time at his cabin with his family and friends and gardening. John loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His children will miss arm wrestling with their Dad. John was an active member of Calvary Lutheran Church, Town of Pine River, where he played dartball and softball.
Survivors include his daughters, Marilyn (Michael) Henkelman of Merrill, Sheila (Jeff) Anderson of Merrill, Tammy Kiskoski (William Schmoekel) of Merrill and Angela Renken (Ben Clark) of Antigo; son, Randy (Amy) Renken of Eagle River; grandchildren, Amy Henkelman (Cornell Bass), Matthew (Melissa) Henkelman, Aaron Henkelman, Rachel (Cody) Schmidt, Kyle (Becky) Ames, Abbie Renken, Rick (Amber) Renken, Kordell Renken, Farije Kiskoski and Shaban Kiskoski; great-grandchildren, Brayden, Jaxson, Kai, Miles, Lawson, Harper, Anistyn and Alexis; sister, Mae Eckardt of Brookfield; brother, David (Terry) Renken of Merrill; brother-in-law, Jim Framke of Grayslake, IL; and several nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Renken; his parents, Ulrich and Adela Renken; son, Rick Renken; grandson, Lucas Anderson;sisters, Janice Framke, Joyce (Jack) Bitcon and Lorene Henrichs.
The funeral service for John will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at Calvary Lutheran Church, Town of Pine River. Rev. Nicole Welke will officiate. Burial will take place in Merrill Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Monday at the Taylor-Stine Funeral Home, Merrill, and after 10:00 A.M. Tuesday at the church. Online condolences may be made at www.taylorstinefuneralhome.com