John S. Fadness

Snow fell in Columbia County, Wisconsin on May 7, 1935. On that day, John Sanden Fadness, the second son of Elva and Andrew Fadness was born. He spent his wonderfully typical boyhood years in south central Wisconsin with his brother Peter and several life-long friends. John graduated from Rio High School in 1954. He attended UW-La Crosse from 1954 to 1956. In 1956 he enlisted in the US Army where, as a proud 82nd Airborne Infantry soldier, he “jumped out of perfectly good airplanes,” excelled in marksmanship, and was part of the US Army Color Guard. He was injured in a serious parachute accident, but completed his enlistment proudly, then returned to UW-La Crosse in 1959. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1961, and then completed his Master’s degree in 1966. La Crosse was also the place where John met the love of his life, Lois Hendrikson, whom he married in August of 1963.

John and Lois loved the outdoors and nature. They instilled into their two daughters, Sarah (Milwaukee) and Jennifer (Chippewa Falls) an appreciation for all creatures and love of the land. The entire family canoed in the Boundary Waters, backpacked in the American west, biked throughout Wisconsin, walked the length of Isle Royale twice, and had many other camping adventures. 

John’s teaching career started with 2 years at Almond, Wisconsin, followed by 34 years at Medford, where he touched the lives of many students, both in the classroom and in his role as a coach. He was truly a good coach and a remarkable history, civics and economics teacher. He enjoyed his teaching years very much.

After John and Lois retired in 1997, they moved to Chippewa Falls where they established roots and met many new friends. They were active members of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, where they participated in various roles over the years, weekly Bible studies, and campfires.

John and Lois truly enjoyed retirement by stepping up their traveling. They bicycled extensively in Central America and Europe. They traversed the Panama Canal. As amateur ornithologists, they accumulated a list of 696 birds on their world bird list. They took 2 environmental cruises to the Canadian High Arctic and got to within 750 miles of the North Pole. They crossed the Northwest Passage and met more friends along the way. In their later years, they enjoyed many Holiday Vacations trips, including the Canadian Rockies (with both daughters), the great Southwest and several Spring Training trips to watch the Brewers.

As time went on, their amazing health declined. Lois currently suffers from dementia and John was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

After 61 plus years of an incredible marriage and 89 years of a well-lived and well-loved life, John, a life-long learner and teacher, passed away on October 12, 2024 at his home with his beloved daughters close by. 

John is preceded in death by his brother Peter in 1995, his parents, Andrew in 1997, and Elva in 1998. John is survived by his wife, and his two daughters, both of whom he was very, very proud, two cousins, five in-laws, several nieces and nephews, one amazing cat, Jasper, and many other friends.  

The family wishes to thank St. Croix Hospice, which provided wonderful, compassionate care. 

Service arrangements are pending. 

Donations can be made in John’s memory to the Chippewa County Humane Association or any environmental organization.