James “Jim” V. Viegut, age 79, of Abbotsford, peacefully went to meet his Lord on Monday, May 17, 2021.  He was at his home surrounded by his loving family.  A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 22nd at 3:00 pm at Christ Lutheran Church in Abbotsford.  Rev. Donald Bruce will officiate.  Family and friends are welcome from 1:00 pm until time of service Saturday at the church.  Military Honors provided by the Colby VFW Post #2227.  Family and friends can watch the service live on the Maurina Schilling Funeral Home Facebook page or after the service anytime on Facebook or the website.  Family and friends are invited to the VFW, 104 N. Division St. in Colby, WI, for food and beverages after the service, from 4 pm – 7 pm.  It was Jim’s wish that everyone would have one last round on him.

Jim was born on October 24, 1941, the son of Clarence and Florence (Wyman) Viegut in the Town of Wien.  His family moved to the Dorchester area in 1942.  He attended Draper Elementary and Dor-Abby High School. Jim enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1959 and was called to active duty and was stationed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington during the Berlin Crisis from 1961-1962. He was honorably discharged in 1967.   On May 21, 1966, Jim was united in marriage to Sherry Plautz in Athens, WI.  They owned and operated a dairy farm near Milan, WI for nine years, before moving to Abbotsford in 1975. During the nine years of farming, Jim also worked for Kraft Foods as a cheesemaker for 30 years, until his retirement in 1989.  He also owned and operated Viegut Livestock from 1966-2013. Jim enjoyed camping, boating, hunting and playing poker.  He and Sherry loved the outdoors and spent time much of their free time on Solberg Lake in Phillips, WI.  They also enjoyed annual winter escapes to a variety of Caribbean destinations.  Jim was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Abbotsford.  He served the church as an Elder, played in the church dart league and for many years was a member of the Christ Lutheran Men’s Choir.  He was a proud dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather.

Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sherry; two sons: Lanny (Cheryl) of Green Bay and Randy (Laura) of Edgar; four grandchildren: Curtis (Brooke), Dillon (Bri), Tanner (Erin) and Abbie (Jeremy Siudzinski); three great-grandchildren: Auden, Cruz and Einn.  He is further survived by 10 siblings: Charmane (Harold) Amacher of Abbotsford, Yvonne (Don) Koerner of Dorchester, Jelaine (Jerry) Carstensen of Medford, Judy (Verlyn) Wittlinger of Abbotsford, Gail (Duane) Underwood of Colby, Debra (Greg) Stoiber of Green Bay, Jeff (Susan) Viegut of Tripoli, Cindy (Jeff) Sebold of Marshfield, Carla (Duane) Wepfer of Marshfield and Mark (Darla) Viegut of Colby; two sisters-in-law, Joyce Viegut Lucas of Colby and Elaine Viegut of Tomahawk; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Florence and two brothers: LaVern and Clarence Jr.

Jim’s family would like to extend its gratitude for the loving care provided to him by the nurses and staff at Hope Hospice & Palliative Care.  Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com.  In lieu of flowers and plants, the family asked that memorials to be sent to Christ Lutheran Church, in Abbotsford, WI, in Jim’s name.