Gary Vohs

Gary L. Vohs - 8/31/43 to 5/23/24 - Gary was preceded in death by his parents: Lawrence and Anita Vohs; his parents in Law: Lloyd and Isla Mereness; brothers-in-law: Tom and Denny Mereness, and Ken Martin. He is survived by his wife of 64 years: Joanne Mereness Vohs; daughter: Stephanie (Dale) Sanderfoot; his best friend and son: Tony (Cheree) Vohs; and his beloved grandchildren: Adam (Janna) Zornow, Laura (Rob) Behm, Mitch Vohs, and Abby (Ryan) Heater, and his wonderful granddaughter: Airedale Hazel; his sister: Karen (Ray) Pagel, and Cathy (Bill) Pastor; in-laws: Lois Mereness Martin, Betty Hauck Mereness, Steve (Betsy) Mereness; and many nieces and nephews. Gary grew up in Fremont and graduated from Winneconne High School. He and Joanne lived most of their married life in Little Chute and Kaukauna. Gary was a pipe fitter by trade and belonged to Local 400 Union. He spent most of his time managing a fabrication shop for Phillips and Getschow. He also loved carpenter work and built a couple of new homes with his good friend Dan Weyenberg. He also rehabbed several homes himself. He was an avid bowler for many years, and had a 300 jacket from the Super Bowl, and a 300 ring which he proudly wore. For many years Gary and Joanne were partners in a dog boarding and grooming kennel in Little Chute, they also raised, trained, showed, and loved Airedale Terriers for over 58 years. For several years Gary was a licensed dog handler as his part time job, he handled mostly Terrier and Toy breeds. He also was asked to Judge Airedale Sweepstakes at several Airedale Specialties, because of his knowledge of the breed, which he was very proud of. He loved fishing, hunting, having coffee with friends, traveling all over the country and Canada with Joanne, showing their Airedales. He enjoyed visiting on the phone with his two sisters. He was also a handyman, and there was no challenge he couldn’t handle. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and brother, and will be greatly missed by his family, and friends. He fought a courageous battle with four different cancers, the last of which he was in stage 4, and was in a cancer trial treatment program, during which he was doing very well. His attitude during the 24 years he dealt with cancer was upbeat and phenomenal. In fact two of his oncologists asked him to mentor some of their patients, which he was happy to do. They felt that because of his upbeat attitude, it would help the people deal with what they were going through. His favorite saying was “Don’t waste time thinking about what you CAN’T do, think and look at what you CAN do.” He wrote a book on his 24-year cancer journey. Joanne will get that edited and published at a later date. On Feb. 20 he had a massive stroke and that took the wind out of his sails. He still tried to stay positive for as long as he could. On May 23, Gary died comfortably and peacefully with his family at his bedside. He was a warrior until the end. We want to thank the Cancer Team at Froedtert, especially Dr. George and Dr. Narra, for all the care they gave him for the last three years, and also all of the CNAs and nurses that took such wonderful care of him for eight weeks at Linden Grove Nursing and Rehab in Menomonee Falls. Grieve not for Gary, remember the good times, the laughter, fun, adventures, travels, and song, and most of all the good life he lived while he was strong. Rest in peace my love and very best friend, save me a place. In honor of Gary’s wishes, a private service will be held with the immediate family.