John Tait

John Tait, 78, Sheboygan, died Friday morning, April 30, 2022, following an acute kidney illness and brief stay at Sharon Richardson Hospice in Sheboygan Falls. John’s family is grateful to their dedicated hospice staff to allow his wife, Barb, and seven children to move in for the week so they could be together during the final week of his life. He was one of five children, born March 29, 1944, in Oconto Falls to Thomas C. and Mary (Padden) Tait Sr. John grew up in Oconto Falls where he attended St. Anthony Catholic Grade School, later graduating from Premontre High School with the Class of 1962. Following graduation, he attended UW-Whitewater and, during the summers, spent time with his brother in Minneapolis were he also attended the University of Minnesota. John graduated from UW-Whitewater in 1966 with a B.B.A. degree with majors in both accounting and economics. His first job out of college was at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, programming computers.

On Sept. 16, 1967, he married Barbara DeWerth at Holy Apostles Catholic Church in New Berlin. Following their marriage, the couple made their home in Fairborn, Ohio, where Barb was also employed at the air base. Following the birth of their firstborn son, Andrew, the young family moved to Beloit where John continued to work with computers — first for the Beloit Corp. and later for the Freeman Shoe Co. John continued with his education at night and received his Master of Science degree in accounting in 1976. He started a new job in the Eau Claire area in 1979 for ITT Financial Corp Data Center, and they later transferred him to their St. Louis, Missouri, office. In 1983, the family moved to Sheboygan County where John was employed by Heritage Insurance and also taught for a semester at Fox Valley Tech in Appleton. He also worked for Inspire Insurance Solutions, a software company in Sheboygan, Boston Store headquarters in Milwaukee and Associated Bank in Green Bay. In 2000, John started as an agent for Prudential Insurance and, after their Sheboygan office closed, he became a licensed agent for MetLife. John became an independent agent in 2007, specializing in insurance products and financial planning until retiring in 2014. His hobbies included being a member of the Sheboygan Rifle and Pistol Club, raising thousands of daffodils, researching family genealogy and fishing on Lake Michigan. John was also a proud and honorary member of the Badgerland Basset Hound Club.

Survivors are his loving wife of 55 years, Barb Tait; their seven children, Andrew (Amy) Tait, Jennifer (James) Sowinski, Brian (Meaghan) Tait, Kathryn (John) Vergeront, Alison (Dave) Tait, Peter (Elizabeth) Tait and Robert (Naomi) Tait; his best friend, Pointer Dog Willy; 10 grandchildren, Brianne Bastman, Brady Tait, Elaina and Matthew Sowinski, Carter, Chandler and Caris Tait, Taylor and Henry Vergeront, Bodi Tait Nelson; his only great-grandson, Ari Reed Bastman; three siblings, Mary Miller, Claudette (Steve) Prenger and Thomas C. (Jane) Tait Jr.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Jeanne O’Harrow.

Visitation will take place after 10 a.m. Friday, May 13, 2022, at Jones Funeral Service in Oconto Falls until the time of service. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, with Deacon Peter Gard officiating. Burial will follow on the Tait family plot in St. Anthony Cemetery, Oconto Falls.