Joseph W. Kreuser, 80, Green Bay, passed into eternity Monday evening July 22, 2019 at Holy Family Memorial Hospital in Manitowoc, Wisconsin as a final result of a serious heart attack two days prior. He was born March 12, 1939 in Green Bay to Elmer and beloved Genevieve (Marchant) Kreuser. He served as an altar boy when he was young. Joe graduated from Green Bay West High School in 1957. Following high school, he went into the workforce. On February 20, 1960 he married his red-headed sweetheart Patricia (Werner) Kreuser at Annunciation Catholic Church. Special appreciation to Annunciation for the long history with the Kreuser family. He was hired at Green Bay Packaging in 1962, starting as a millwright and worked there until his retirement 40 years later in the supply room running and picking up parts around the city. Joe enjoyed playing spades with his kids, working on paper machines and fixing cars in his spare time, although not always with a clean vocabulary. Like all workers, he struggled with answering the phone from his supervisors after hours especially Bob Kersten. Joe enjoyed the highs and lows of his Green Bay Packers but especially loved fishing with his sons during the summer months. He was quite fond of catching bluegills with his fly rod, making it hard for his sons to catch any fish. In 1975, Mark and Scott, along with friends at school, started collecting beer cans. Joe joined in because the winter months allowed a lot of free time. He became a Beer Can Collectors of America member in 1976 with #8332, continuing as a paying member the rest of his life. Joe became great friends with his fellow beer can collecting and drinking buddies for the Packer chapter. He had a trying time as the editor of the Packer chapter newsletter, plucking away on an old typewriter. Special thanks to Ken Treml, Jerry Strebel, Dennis Kleczka, Pete Vann, and many others for the awesome memories and camaraderie that they shared over the years. And an even more special thanks to our wives who followed along with what looked liked folly to many.
His life was changed when he suffered a stroke in 2008. At that point, he had to curtail the things he had loved for so many years. He enjoyed his excursions to Hawaii and the Thunderbird Lodge at Lake Tahoe. David and Jenny were great trip partners along with his wife “Patsy”. Though he had a hard time expressing it, he was proud of his children’s accomplishments. His daughter Barb’s college degree, his sons Mark and Scott going off to the Marines, and his son David’s hard-working spirit.
Joe is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia; their daughter, Barbara (Lee) Barrington; sons, Scott (Dawn) Kreuser and David (Jennifer) Kreuser; daughter-in-law, Lynette Kreuser; his sister, Mary Margaret Mommaerts; one grandson, Brennan Barrington; 8 granddaughters, Aubrey Barrington, Caitlin, Ashley, Abigail, Elizabeth, Melanie, Teresa, Samantha Kreuser; and one great grandson, Jaxon(Teresa).
He was preceded in death by his mother, Genevieve (when he was 8); father, Elmer; stepmother, Alice (Heim); sisters, Florence (Wauters) and Lenore (Milinski); son, Mark Joseph; grandson, Joshua M. Kreuser (Scott).
Visitation will be at Proko-Wall Funeral Home, 1630 E. Mason St., from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, 2019, followed by a funeral service at 7:00 p.m. Burial will be in Fort Howard Memorial Park. Online condolences may be expressed at www.Prokowall.com.