John D. Thren

John Dennis Thren Jr, of Lady Lake, Florida, passed away after a short illness on Sunday, January 25, 2026 at the age of 86 while under the care of hospice.

Beloved father of Steven (Lenore) Thren and Stacie (Spencer) Campbell. Loving grandfather of Jacob (Emilee) Thren, Natalie (Jacob) Debnar, Evan Campbell, and Nolan Campbell (fiancée Nicole), step grandson Jordan (Holli) Campbell and family, and great-grandfather of Alice Debnar. Dear brother of Curtis (Patricia) Thren, Susan (Wayne) Eichman, and sister-in-law of Chris Pethke. Further survived by many nephews and nieces, other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Alice Thren (nee Pethke), parents John and Edna Thren, mother and father-in-law Herman and Dorothy Pethke, brother Robert Thren, sister Sharon and brother in-law Walter Webber and brother in-law Allen Pethke.

John was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1939. He served in the U.S. Army for 4 years, from 1959 to 1962, and was honorably discharged. He met Alice Pethke in 1963, at the Wisconsin State fair and they were married on July 18, 1964. John and Alice lived and raised their two children on the south side of Milwaukee until Alice’s sudden illness and passing on May 9, 1991. He worked in maintenance for Perfex, then received his boiler operator license and worked at St. Francis Hospital until he retired in 2006. He then moved to Lady Lake, Florida right outside The Villages, Florida area in 2013. He enjoyed being a “snowbird”, spending his winters in Florida and coming back to Wisconsin for the summers. He enjoyed attending festivals in Milwaukee and Florida, especially German Festivals and meeting up with his friends and family. He enjoyed traveling and took many cruises with his special friend Donna and several trips to Germany with his friend Ron, Connie and family.

Visitation for the celebration of his life will be held at the Bruskiewitz Funeral Home, 5355 W. Forest Home Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53220, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 10:00-11:55 AM, with a service to follow at 12:00 PM. Private interment at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Hayes, WI.

A very special thanks to the staff at UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital and the Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages, Florida.



In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations in John's memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.