Joseph "Joe" W. Kluessendorf

Joe Kluessendorf, 53, of Montgomery, IL passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, November 15th, 2017. He was born March 7th, 1964 in Waukesha, WI. He is survived by his 4 children; Jordan Kluessendorf of Aurora, IL, Joshua Kluessendorf of Montgomery, IL Gina Kluessendorf of Montgomery, IL and Nicholas (Nick) Kluessendorf of Normal, IL, the children’s mother and lifelong friend Eva Kluessendorf, his father Jerome Kluessendorf and step mother Lucy Kluessendorf of Dousman, WI as well as 4 brothers and 2 sisters; Beth Hemmer of Waterford, WI, Bill Braun of Mequon, WI, Paul Braun of Middleton, WI, John Kluessendorf of Fennville, MI, Michael Braun of Lakeville, MN, and Ann Rexine of Maple Grove, MN.  Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Mandy Kluessendorf on December 15th, 1976.

Joe graduated from Kettle Moraine High School in 1982.  While in high school he discovered his passion for printing and blended it with his interest in sales. Joe always had a clear vision of his future. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1986 and a Master of Business Administration from Aurora University in 2006. Joe enjoyed a long and successful sales career in the printing industry where he regularly became great friends with his clients.  Joe was proud of his profession and when questioned about online communications, he would state quite clearly that paper is a sustainable resource and champion harvesting trees to send printed materials.

Joe gave freely of his time to his profession, his community, family and friends including being elected and serving for 8 years on the Oswego Community School District School Board from 1999-2007, actively engaging at his church - Orchard Valley Community Church, and serving as President of a local softball league as commissioner and president of his team - RCA. He volunteered at the Hesed House homeless shelter and freely donated to numerous organizations.

Joe was a prodigious reader with an ability to recall what he had read with intent and accuracy. He loved to travel and spoke often of his goal of visiting all 50 states by the age of 50.  He proudly accomplished that goal recently and even added Puerto Rico to the list.  He was an endless reserve of knowledge and trivia. He had an ability to hold the room with a story and had an intense love of all things history.  From Versailles to Gettysburg or riding a Harley in Mexico, he loved to mix adventure with education.

Joe was a lover of traditions and was particularly enamored with Halloween. He loved to decorate the house and scare trick or treaters. This love of Halloween was fueled by his interest in the paranormal and led to numerous ghost tours and historical locations known to be haunted.  It was commonplace for Joe to give an impromptu ghost tour or macabre comment to his friends as they went out on the town.

Little known facts about Joe are that he was a two-time marathon runner, maintained a personal library of hundreds of books organized alphabetically by genre, and had built a museum of personal memorabilia in his basement. He had keepsakes from his entire life including his St. Paul’s Elementary School diploma, 100s of ticket stubs from concerts and ballgames, countless trading cards, pictures and other sports memorabilia and photos of him with famous people he encountered during his travels. Joe was a Green Bay Packer shareholder and a proud season ticket holder. He was an immense sports fan.  He enjoyed cheering on the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers whenever he could.

Joe gathered annually with his family for Family Fun Fest and enjoyed Whiffle Ball Weekend with his brothers and friends where they played their childhood game and enjoyed each other’s company.  He attended countless concerts and outings and made numerous road trips with his high school and college friends affectionately called “The Brewskis”. He led the charge with that group and the brotherhood sustained him throughout his life.  Joe loved his Ford Mustangs and Harley.  One of his most cherished places was a family cottage in Sturgeon Bay, WI. While in Door County, he’d often golf as a member at 27 Pines Golf Club and compete with friends and family at a mini golf course for the infamous Red Putter.Joe was a passionate father, sibling, and friend and has touched many people’s lives.  He’ll be missed. Visitation will be on Monday, November 20th from 2:00pm - 7:00pm at Springbrook Community Church (11247 Heggs Rd, Plainfield IL) followed immediately by a service at the same location. Pastor Scott Hodge from Orchard Valley Community Church will officiate. A private burial will be held at Genesee Cemetery in the Town of Genesee, Wisconsin.

The family wishes to extend a special thanks to Alicja Wojcik-Dunn for the companionship, love and tenderness she shared with Joe.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).