On Friday, March 19, 2021, Joseph Paul Gruetzmacher lost his long battle with depression.
Joe was born Dec. 23, 1980 at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. He grew up in Ripon and graduated from Green Lake High School. He graduated in 2008 from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a degree in Social Work.
During that time he spent many summers working at the Green Lake Sub Company in downtown Green Lake.
After graduation, Joe jumped right into his field of study working with adjudicated youth in the Crandon, WI area. He then took a position with the State of WI as a Probation Parole Officer in Madison, WI. Joe was passionately dedicated to helping those in need. He was a steadfast advocate for all the individuals he served in his various roles throughout his career. He was most recently employed at Professional Service Group in Appleton, WI.
Joe is survived by his parents, Stephen and Patty (Reinsch) Gruetzmacher of Oshkosh, his sister Steph (Gruetzmacher) Novotny and her husband John of Van Dyne, his children Jack and Gracie, and their mother Laura (Pahlas) Gruetzmacher of Ripon, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Joe is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Doris and Carl Gruetzmacher, his maternal grandparents Lutgarde (Lu) and Carroll (Sonny) Reinsch as well as several aunts and uncles.
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, there will not be a funeral. End of life services are being carried out by Fox Cities Funeral and Cremation Services of Oshkosh.
A GoFundMe page has also been established to help the family at this time. Other memorial donations can be made in Joe’s honor to the ACLU. Their work fighting for social justice is a cause that was very near to Joe’s heart.