James David Fast aka ‘Fast Eddie’

James D. “Eddie” Fast died unexpectedly in his Elizabethtown, Kentucky, home on June 22, 2022. He was born on Oct. 19, 1960, in Neenah to Lois (Whiting) Poe and the late John (Jack) Fast. Jim grew up in Appleton and later Wausau, where he joined the U.S. Army in 1977 and served three years as an infantryman at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Greely, Alaska. Upon his return to Wisconsin, Jim lived in Shawano and worked at the Shawano Paper Mill. In 1991, as the Gulf War began, Jim re-enlisted in the Army as a tank crewmember. In September 1991, he married Rosanne (Rose) Brahan of Clintonville. Rose later joined Jim in the Army, and they traveled together to Fort Riley, Kansas; Baumholder, Germany; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Drum, New York; Fort McPherson/Gillem, Georgia; and finally Fort Knox, Kentucky. While in Germany, Jim became a career counselor for the Army, and found his calling in helping soldiers. Jim retired from the Army in 2010 and began working for the Army as a civil servant at Human Resources Command at Fort Knox. He and Rose remained in Kentucky until his passing. During his time in the Army, Jim went on multiple deployments: Bosnia, 1996; Macedonia, 1999; Iraq, 2003; Afghanistan, 2005-2007; and finally, several trips to and from Kuwait, 2007-2010. Jim was a great listener and readily shared his experiences and knowledge with others to help them make decisions about their Army career, saving for retirement, and many other areas. He was quick with a joke and loved to pull pranks on and share his humor with his colleagues, family, and friends. He liked to work, and he loved his pups, Smokie and Whiskey. Jim is survived by his wife, Rose, Kentucky; his mother, Lois (Whiting) Poe, Washington state; his brother, Dan (Kelley) Fast, Florida; and his sister, Barb (Fast) Driesen, Washington. He is further survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Dave and Cindy Brahan, Clintonville; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and countless friends and acquaintances. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at Appleton Highland Memorial Park Chapel, 3131 N. Richmond St., Appleton. After a brief service followed by military honors graveside at 2 p.m., there with be a gathering with food and drinks at The Grand Meridian, 2621 N. Oneida St., Appleton.