Neil 'Jim' Herning

On Sept. 14, 2020, after a very courageous battle with Multiple Myeloma, Neil “Jim” E. Herning, 75, of Suring, passed away surrounded by his family. He was born April 12, 1945, to the late Edward and Eva (Slimmer) Herning. Shortly after birth, his sister Ora Lee decided that he didn’t look like a “Neil” and quickly declared his name to be “Jim” and the name stuck for the rest of his life. Jim graduated from Suring High School with the Class of 1963 and shortly after enlisted in the United States Air Force and proudly served his country from 1963 to 1967. He spent time in the Philippines while serving and would often talk about the experiences he had there. The story about the huge snake that took a dozen men to lift and carry away from the barracks was a favorite of his. When he was honorably discharged, he came home and met a beautiful young lady and on March 1, 1969, he married the love of his life, Sandra McMahon. Making a good life for her and their son was always a top priority for Jim, and for 41 years he worked for the Oconto County Highway Department, retiring on Feb. 19, 2009. Jim enjoyed spending time outdoors with his family, and he and Sandy taught Scott to also enjoy camping, hunting, fishing and trail riding. They spent many summers traveling to campgrounds and seeing the country. He loved living close to all the trails that were available to him and the family so much that many weekends he could be found giving trail rides to all of the kids, both big and small. Jim thought it was important that all of his grandsons were taught proper gun safety and respect, so when they were old enough to go deer hunting they always sat with Grandpa their first couple years and learned many invaluable life lessons. Jim led by quiet example. His son and grandsons learned how to be good men by watching how he treated others, especially Sandy. He was always eager to help when needed and usually without having to be asked. Jim had many stories and was never too busy to spend time laughing with friends and family. He enjoyed looking into his family’s genealogy and was able to go back many generations of his family tree. He also enjoyed working on guns in his free time and was a gunsmith for many years. People brought their guns to him to be repaired, and they were always happy with what he was able to do for them.

There are many things that could be said about Jim, but the most important is that he loved his life, his wife and his family, and he cherished the time that he had with all of them. He was a gentle giant of a man who looked intimidating but was wonderfully kind to those he loved. He had huge hands that were soft and gentle when he held his loved ones, especially his grandchildren and his great-grandson. He will be greatly missed by his loving wife of 51 years, Sandra of Suring; son, Scott (Sue) Herning of Suring; sister, Ora Lee (John) Reindl of Suring; three grandsons, Cole (Danielle) Herning, Tyler Herning and Jerid Herning and great-grandson, Asher Herning. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a nephew, Dean Schulz.

A memorial service will be held at Gruetzmacher Funeral Home at a later date. The service will be announced when the dates are available. Gruetzmacher Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be expressed at www.gruetzmacherfuneralhome.com.

Special thanks to the staffs of St. Vincent Hospital, the Oncology Department at St. Clare Hospital and Unity Hospice for the care and compassion offered to Jim and his family during their time of need.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.