JOHN TESKA

John Thomas Teska, 83, died Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Neenah, WI. Born on October 17, 1931, in Moose Lake, MN, to PT and Anona (Haberkorn) Teska, John grew up living in a variety of cities including Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, and Baton Rouge, LA, although Green Lake was always "home" in many ways. John graduated from University High School in Baton Rouge and went on to major in physics at Oklahoma University where he played football under coach Bud Wilkinson and received a Sugar Bowl watch. He met Carol Amthor in downtown Green Lake and they married on June 20, 1953, in Waupun. After a brief stint in St. Louis, they moved to California where John worked for North American Aviation and then moved on to a startup company, CalComp. Green Lake kept calling him so he made a career change. In 1967, he joined the faculty at Ripon College as a professor of mathematics and earned a PhD in mathematics from Oklahoma in 1970. John and Carol built a home and raised their family on Green Lake. In another career change, John left Ripon College in 1981 to open the first of four ComputerLand stores with Carol. Reflecting on his career path, John often said that he always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up even though he was always wrong. John and Carol retired in 1993, living in Berlin, Wautoma, and Neenah. John was an avid sports fan and player with an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball statistics that he shared with his mother. His children will never forget that Ted Williams said, "You can't hit a baseball with tears in your eyes." He also loved music, playing guitar and his banjo ukulele. Sailing was another passion. He raced E scows with Carol - notably Aft Agley and Wile E Coyote - on Green Lake and in Midwestern regattas. He loved to work on cars, including building a Wildfire, one of the first kit cars. A staunch environmental advocate, he also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and waterskiing. John was active in politics and a proud, card-carrying member of the ACLU, serving on the Fox Valley chapter board. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Carol, his daughter, Janet Teska Veum (Tom Silverstein) and her sons Benjamin and Christopher; his son, Tom Teska (Alyssa Ten Harmsel) and their son, Brendan; and his son Andrew (Lynn) Teska, and their children, Maisie, Nickolas, and Alexander, as well as many cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, James. A memorial will be held at a time to be determined. A memorial fund is being established.