Jon R. Samolinski

Jon Richard Samolinski came into this world November 11, 1955. He was born in Antigo, Wisconsin to Don and Lois (Guenthner) Samolinski.

Most of Jon's growing up years were in Antigo. As a child, he loved to play outside, pester his older brother, rough house with his two younger siblings and ride his bike. He often told stories of his childhood there.

Throughout his life, Jon was an avid reader. He hung out at Con's in Antigo, a place with pinball machines, pool tables, a jukebox and a large magazine rack. When a worker there noticed him reading the magazines on the rack, but not purchasing them, he pelted Jon with a few candy sombreros or jujubes and yelled, "This ain't a library, jellybean!!!"

Jon reminisced about his time as a paperboy. One of his stops was Gunkel's Bakery, where he purchased generous bags of sweet pastries, and was sometimes given a few extras for his efforts. He spoke highly of the kindness of the people there and went into great detail about the quality of the bakery he devoured! (His family also shopped there. Gunkel's is still in business in Antigo.)

Jon was a music lover, mostly of Rock and Roll, Blues, Jazz and Reggae. Though he loved listening, he did not produce music himself. For one thing, he tended to let people know that his music teacher in Antigo asked Jon to please just mouth the words to the songs they'd be performing. As far as instruments go, he liked to say, "I was a musician once. I played shoehorn in a hat band!" Self-deprecating humor was a forte.

Due to Jon's dad Don receiving a job offer at General Telephone, the Samolinski family moved to Wausau in the fall of 1969. At age 14, Jon became a freshman at Wausau East High.

Jon had an intensity about him, and an acerbic wit. He loved discussing politics, history, literature and what have you, with anyone who would care to engage with him. In his mid to late teens and early adulthood, with respect to literature, a few favorites of his were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter Thompson and T.S. Elliot. He also wrote poetry in those early days. Much later in life he challenged himself to make a list of every book he'd ever read. There is no doubt; it was a very long list.

After Jon graduated from high school in 1974, he purchased a large yellow backpack with an aluminum frame and hitchhiked out to Colorado. He needed time to decide what to do next with his life.

Jon met Martha Woodworth while in high school. They were together for 30 years; they married in 1987 and divorced in 2005. They remained friends. Their two children, Joseph and Michael, were central to Jon's adult life in Eau Claire.

Jon and Martha moved to Madison in 1976 to begin their university education. Jon eventually threw his hat in the ring to become a high school history teacher. He had a passion for studying history. Jon graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1982.

Several Wausau friends also moved to Madison, so he was lucky to continue his friendships during those wild years. A friend from Antigo also moved to Madison. A Wausau friend moved to the Twin Cities. He stayed in the "karass" as well. (That is a Kurt Vonnegut word that roughly means tribe.) He liked to refer to a few of his friends as the"53 Club" since a tight knit group of them had been friends for over 50 years. Childhood friends and family ties also remained with him, and he continued to make new friends as life went on. One of his newer friends, Myron, also a history buff, was a kind and supportive friend these last two plus years.

Those of you who were aware of his sickness, who traveled to visit him, who communicated in some way, including thoughts, you know who you are. You were so very important to him. "Without these friendships - life, what cauchemar!" T.S.E. (Cauchemar is French for nightmare.) Jon's siblings and his sons were also stellar during his days of illness. Their care, support, kindness and love were unsurpassed.

Jon worked as a bartender at the Crystal Corner Bar in Madison for a couple of years. He liked telling the story about a couple he was serving one very busy night. They were sitting at the end of the bar. The gentleman ordered 2 Bloody Marys, no garbage - meaning no garnishes. Jon delivered them, and then hoofed it back down the bar, serving up drinks. A minute later, the man yelled, " Hey Samolinski! I said no garbage!" Jon booked back to the end of the long bar, took a look at the drinks and said, "There's no garbage in there!" and went back to working in high gear. Once again the man called for Jon. He came back, a bit steamed, but then saw it - a cockroach on the rim of the woman's glass! They all laughed their butts off. And Jon served them both free drinks for a week.

In 1985, Jon moved back to Wausau and took a job with Skelgas Propane. He continued to work in the propane industry for many years. Jon started out doing the toughest tasks. He set tanks, painted them as needed, and delivered propane around the rural areas of Wausau. His smarts and hard work allowed him to rise to middle management positions. He was respected by the people both above and below him. He was sensitive regarding the workers he managed, because he had done those jobs himself. Those workers understood this about him. His higher ups recognized his talents. His boss texted this to me: "Jon was a special person to me and many others. I remember when I was in Indiana, Jon won awards for sales growth in the Wisconsin region. In 2002, he received an Outstanding Market Manager award from Amerigas." It was not just a job; he developed relationships with some of his coworkers that remained to his last days.

Later in his working years, Jon had a few different miscellaneous jobs, but his favorite was working for the Aging & Disabilities Resource Center in Eau Claire. He delivered Meals on Wheels through the ADRC and also occasionally served special meals out of the kitchen at St. John's Apartments, for people who are elderly and people who have disabilities. The people there appreciated him. He really enjoyed interacting with the workers at the ADRC, and they reciprocated that feeling!

As readers may have surmised, Jon had a hefty sense of humor. During the Madison years and beyond, Jon organized a party every summer at the Samolinski cottage on Post Lake, near the town of Elcho. He and Martha co-created entertainment for the parties that kept everyone bustin' a gut. One year it was an off-color Catholic Bingo game, where he was a nasty priest, and Martha was a burlesque nun. Another year, it was Jeopardy, also a serious hoot! Jon and his buddies were able to use the cottage for a fall weekend for golf outings and card games for several years. Jon organized those, and the invitations were spicy and hilarious to say the least!

The Samolinski cottage was in the family for 4 generations. The cabin was used as a deer camp, at least for two generations, probably three. Jon went with his dad Don and Don's friends. Getting a deer was never Jon's goal - in fact he may have been a buckless 'Sconnie - but spending time with his dad and his dad's friends was the highlight of those annual trips. The cottage was used for gatherings for anniversaries, special birthdays, retirement parties or just for the recreational heck of it. The Post Lake cottage, eventually named 'Pole-Ox-R-Inn' with a backwards 'R' (the name was his mom's creation), was a huge part of Jon's life. Many of his extended family and friends also felt that way, with a goodly collection of fond memories that sparked embellished stories and reminiscences.

Anyone who knew Jon already knows that he was a life-long Wisconsin sports fan. He kept up with the Packers, Brewers, Badgers and Bucks. Maybe though, not everyone knows he played football in high school. During his freshman and sophomore years with The Lumberjacks he was a linebacker on defense and may have played on the offensive line as well. Also, he played baseball while living in Antigo. Jon was in Little League. Local legend has it that he was one hell of a catcher for his team.

Jon was able to go to Lambeau, early on with his dad or older brother. Later he went to one game a year starting in the early to mid 90's. He alternated taking his sons along - Joe one year and Mike the next.

Speaking of the kids, Jon was a very involved father with Joe and Mike. From the beginning, he spent a good bit of time interacting with them. In the early years, there were realistic challenges of course, but the default mode was that things were naturally playful and fun. Jon did his fair share of bath time and other caregiving. He loved rough housing and also engaging with them using all their great toys. Jon always liked pumpkin carving time with them in the fall. In winter, he loved taking them to sledding hills wherever Martha and Jon could find them. (They moved 4 times, so they had to find sledding hills each time they changed towns.) In the summer, Jon often chose vacations exploring the areas around Lake Superior or Lake Michigan while the kids were growing up. Needless to say, all that just scratches the surface!

Here are a few other things Jon loved to play: Cribbage - he taught Joe and Mike how to play. They often played it with their dad into adulthood, including during the last weeks of his care. Jon played quite a bit of Sheepshead, Poker and back in the day, a wee bit of Bridge. And Chess. Later in life he also played some disc golf now and again with Joe and/or Mike.

Back to literature, Jon began reading John le Carre books in the mid 70's and continued doing so until le Carre's last book was published posthumously in 2021. During his college years, Jon took a class on Shakespeare. He embraced it thoroughly. For a time, he enjoyed Shakespeare's work, including attending plays at American Player's Theater. At some point, maybe around 1979, Jon discovered a writer named Jim Harrison. He was a close-to-the-earth type, a Michigan wood tick you might say, yet he was also highly sophisticated. Jon really related to his writing and his lifestyle. Harrison was a gourmet cook, and a lover of fine food in general. Jon also very much appreciated certain well-cooked meals and particular delicacies! Lois, his mother, was an excellent cook. Certainly, she was a big influence on him. In his childhood, he said to her, "Mom, you are a good cooker!" One more literary highlight (and there are SO many more!) is Jon's favorite poem. It is 'Two Tramps in Mud Time', by Robert Frost. Please look it up and read it. Several times.

Living in Madison from 1976 to 1985, Jon managed to attend concerts frequently, even if he had to scrape together the money. Madison was a Mecca for incredible musicians of that era including Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Milestone Jazz Stars (featuring Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner and Ron Carter), Herbie Hancock, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Little Feat and on and on and on! Of course he traveled outside of Madison to attend concerts, too, including Springsteen and The Rolling Stones. There would be four more pages if this list was exhaustive!

Jon was a nature lover, but he especially loved birds. He was a member of The Audubon Society and had a subscription to their magazine. He offered oranges for Orioles, suet for woodpeckers and a variety of seeds for a variety of birds. Pileated Woodpeckers were among the avian visitors at his bird feeders here in Eau Claire.

Jon also had a subscription for the New York Times newspaper and The New Yorker magazine. He was a New Yorker from afar, but at long last, he made it to The Big Apple! His last trip was to New York City with his dear friends Gary and Ralph. He and Gary dined at Katz's Deli and the two of them also saw Jon's all-time favorite band, The Rolling Stones. Jon, Ralph and Gary visited the legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art and also took an iconic cruise around Manhattan together. Jon knew his illness was terminal when he went to New York. He went out with a bang, while at the moment of his death, he went very quietly and peacefully.

Jon passed away on December 20th, 2024 of metastatic lung cancer. He is survived by sons Joseph and Michael Samolinski, three siblings Peter, Thomas and Peggy Samolinski and his former wife and friend Martha Woodworth.

The family offers deep gratitude to ICU in Mayo in Eau Claire, Mayo Clinic Health System - Red Cedar Hospital in Menomonie and the Dove West Nursing Home. Jon received excellent care. We also thank the Cremation Society of Wisconsin for their support and services.

Donations in Jon's name are open ended. The Audubon Society and Meals on Wheels of Eau Claire County are suggestions.

The family is planning a gathering this summer, possibly fall, to honor Jon's life. When the date is set, we will post it on this site.

Cremation Society of WI, Altoona is assisting the family. Online condolences may be shared at www.creamationsociety-wi.com