Jack Lembke, 90, of Waukesha passed away on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at AngelsGrace Hospice in Oconomowoc.
Jack’s childhood is that of a Wisconsin rural farming family in the early 1900’s. Jack was born in Oconomowoc on March 30, 1932 in the home of his parent’s, Walter and Mabel Lembke, Jack was the 13th of 15 children, with his oldest brother, Harold, already 20 years old at the time of his birth. Jack’s mother had her hands full with all the children. His mother was declared the “Mother of Waukesha County” by the Daily Freeman for Mother’s Day in 1946, in which Jack’s father, won out as the Waukesha County father with the most living children.
Jack attended the Pleasant View Schoolhouse in Merton, a one room wooden structure, grades first through eighth. There he was known for the pranks he would play to the school teachers’ dismay. Upon graduating eighth grade he continued to work on the family farm often going on the milk routes with his father, picking up and delivery the milk for processing. When he turned 18 he decided that he wanted to pursue opportunities in manufacturing, which started booming in the early 1950’s. He worked various jobs in Milwaukee and Waukesha, such as chroming appliances, loading and inspecting soda bottles, assembling transformers for electric companies and eventually, as a precision machinist at Hein-Werner Corporation manufacturing parts for hydraulic jacks for twenty-six years.
Jack often visited his sister Beulah in Waukesha and moved in with her in 1952 while he was working at Bon-Ton bottling Company in the city. There he noticed a lovely young lady named Audrey Joan McLellan who lived a couple of houses down the street. Jack asked for an introduction and after courting, married her on June 2, 1956 at the United Methodist Church in Waukesha. Following their dreams, they had two daughters, Kristi and Sandie, and bought their first home in the city of Waukesha.
Jack had a passion for “sporty” cars in his early adulthood, owning both a 1957 Chevy Belair and a 1965 Chevy Impala. Later in life he enjoyed flower gardening and loved Irises. He also enjoyed staging and decorating the homes he owned along with his wife Audrey. Jack was a compassionate man. When his wife’s aging parents needed living assistance, he bought a duplex and moved her parents in to take care of them.
Jack had a wonderful sense of humor with very expressive eyes. He was quite the Jokester, something he never lost from childhood. As the ravage of time started to strip his memory and body from him, he still made us laugh. Most of all he was devoted to his wife Audrey. Just before he passed on to our heavenly lord, he said to Audrey “I love you”.
Jack will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 66 years, Audrey, his two children, Kristi (Brian) Hennen and Sandie (Bill) Block, his grandson Matthew , his granddaughter Ali (Stephanie) Block, and his sister Delores (Arthur) Grulke. Jack was preceded in death by his grandson and namesake, Jack Allen Block; nine brothers Harold, Russell, Chris, Wallace, Melvin, Franklin, Robert, Harlow, Calvin; and 4 sisters Mildred, Eva, Beulah and Gladys.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Rhonda Michaels and Maggie Pires for providing loving and caring assistance during Jack’s final months. They will always be part of our family. The family would also like to thank AngelsGrace Hospice for providing comfort to Jack and his family in his final days.
Visitation and services will be held on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at Randle-Dable Brisk Funeral Home from 5:00 PM until the 7 :00 PM funeral service all at the funeral home. Interment will be at Wisconsin Memorial Park.: