Austin Wheaton

Austin Charles “Pudge” Wheaton of Eldorado, WI passed away peacefully in Appleton on June 1, 2026, just days shy of his 90th birthday.

He was born on June 7, 1936, in Kaukauna, WI to Austin Albert “Opie” Wheaton and Lorretta Mae Hoks. Opie and Loretta established Wheaton’s Resort on Lake Poygan in 1953. Two years later, Pudge graduated from Winneconne High School and enlisted in the United States Navy. He worked in radio ops aboard the USS Wasp, a formative experience that brought him around the globe and exposed him to humanity’s breadth of cultures and societies.

However, having seen the wonders of the world, it was Mary Korn of Winneconne, WI, who captured Pudge’s adoration. The two began their courtship in 1957, marrying on June 17, 1961.

Following his enlistment, Pudge earned a BS in Education at UW Milwaukee and started his career as an English teacher at Brookfield Central High School. He would later earn a Master’s Degree in School Counseling at UW Oshkosh.

Mary and Pudge moved their growing family to Larsen, WI in 1965, with Pudge joining the Neenah Joint School District, where he would go on to serve as an educator, counselor, and coach until his retirement in 1993. Known by his Neenah colleagues as “Chuck,” he coached football, wrestling, and track, and spent summers teaching archery and orienteering through Neenah Parks and Recreation.

While their children were growing up, they took cross-country road trips in an enormous truck and camper rig that carried every possible necessity to facilitate adventures, repairs, and rescues. Pudge was remarkable in his ability to merge recreation and industry, and regardless of the nature of the experience, everything was an opportunity for education. He was, after all, a teacher to his core.

In 1983, Mary and Pudge assumed responsibility for Wheaton’s Resort, building their dream home in 1990 and living on Lake Poygan until selling the resort in 2015. They moved to Eldorado, living in a home they built with their daughter and son-in-law.

Pudge was a man of many interests and passions. All were pursued with an unmatched intensity, and it was up to those around him to do their best to keep up. A lover of music of all kinds, the arts, hunting, fishing, gardening, sports, reading, cribbage, physical projects, storytelling, and more, he was as multifaceted as they come. And he was funny, both as a humorist and subject.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Mary Wheaton; sister Judy LaRue, née Wheaton; and five children, Therese Null, Kara Woodford, Charles (Linda) Wheaton, Lisa Wheaton, and Heidi (Ted Frank) Wheaton. He is further survived by nine grandchildren, Jake Woodford, Alex (Adrienne) Woodford, Austin (Kendra) Wheaton, Lauren (Zach) Marchant, née Wheaton, Evan Wheaton, Nathan Frank, Brenna Frank, Theodore Frank, and Hadley Frank; and great-grandchildren Allie, Landon, Tucker, and Jackson.

Pudge loved his family above all else and will be fondly remembered through many tales of adventure (and misadventure), acts of care and support, and his enduring belief in the potential of every person with whom he interacted.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Pudge on Friday, June 19, at 3:00 pm at Westgor Funeral Home in Neenah, WI. Visitation will precede the service, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to organizations dedicated to education, conservation, or the arts in his honor.