John E. Waldman

John was born September 19, 1929, in Janesville, Wisconsin, to Ruth and Jack Waldman, and died peacefully  July 26, 2022, surrounded by family.  John was a business education teacher who spent the majority of his career in the Madison Metropolitan School District.  John received his B.A. from UW-Whitewater, and his M.A. from Ball State University in Indiana.  He was active in Madison Teachers, Inc. (MTI).  After his retirement in 1988, John continued to teach for two years at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

He was drafted during the Korean War and served two years in the U.S. Army, during which time he served as a Corporal MP and taught inmates at Fort Campbell, KY.

John was an enthusiastic volunteer and dedicated his time to Habitat for Humanity, local food pantries, and the Museum at the Portage (serving for many years as president of the Portage Historical Society). John was an avid traveler who visited many countries and states with his wife, Lila.  He went on an annual houseboat excursion for 30 years.  He never failed to stop at the random garage sale, was a collector extraordinaire, and a maker of bird houses.  John was a voracious reader and had an extensive home collection of favorite books.

As the patriarch of the Waldman family, John and Lila brought the extended family together yearly at their cabin in Montello.  He was a frequent winner of the Ugly Pants Contest and a fierce competitor when playing Euchre.

John is survived by Lila, his wife of forty-four years.  He is also survived by children John Waldman (Tina Street), Carrie (Fred) Stanek, Nancy (Dan) Soma, Tom Waldman (Jill Rotar), Patty (Bill) Swan, and Jerry (Lisa) Berken.  John is further survived by grandchildren Jonathan (Liz) Waldman, Jesse Waldman, Alexis Folk, Jack Waldman, Heidi (Noemi) Ramos-Stanek, Hannah Stanek Yee, Mike (Sarah) Stanek, Sam (Mariela) Stanek, Aaron Waldman, and Lainey, Tommy, and Matthew Berken.  John had two great-grandchildren, Ariel and Jackson Waldman.  He is further survived by many nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers William and Robert, and his first wife Marie.

Private inurnment will be held at Southern Wisconsin Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove.  A celebration of life will be held at a date to be determined. Memorials may be made in John’s name to the Museum at the Portage, Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area, or your local food pantry. The family would like to thank the staff at Select Specialty Hospital in Madison and the ENT surgeons at UW-Hospital for their care of John over the last weeks of his life.

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